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Terracotta fragment of a votive relief

ca. 470–460 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 156
Hades abducting Persephone

When Hades, the god of the underworld, carried Persephone to his kingdom of the dead, Demeter, her mother, brought all growth on earth to a standstill until Persephone was allowed to return to the earth for part of each year. Since antiquity, this myth has been understood as an allegory for the seasonal cycle of vegetation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Terracotta fragment of a votive relief
  • Period: Classical
  • Date: ca. 470–460 BCE
  • Culture: Greek, South Italian, Locrian
  • Medium: Terracotta
  • Dimensions: H. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)
  • Classification: Terracottas
  • Credit Line: Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989
  • Object Number: 1989.281.60
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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