Hiram PowersAmerican, 1805–1873Proserpine
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Smithsonian American Art Museum
RoomLuce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 19AWashington, D.C., United States
On public display.
- Checked
- 9 days ago
- In this state since
- Sep 25, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the sculpture
Proserpine (or Persephone) is a character from Greek mythology who was forced to spend part of every year in the underworld. Her absence from the earth was believed to cause winter, while her return brought spring. Hiram Powers modeled the original bust of Proserpine to include an elaborate woven basket filled with flowers. This proved too time-consuming and expensive to carve, however, and it was changed to a simple arrangement of acanthus leaves. Proserpine was replicated more than any other work produced by an American sculptor during the nineteenth century, and Powers’s studio carved more than three hundred copies.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1926.11.1
What it shows
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 9 days ago
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
Meanwhile, in the life of Hiram Powers
The whole life10 September 1838
Daughter born: Louisa Greenough Powers Ibbotson
1842
Son born: Preston Powers
27 June 1873
Died
