Cerberus
2023 © Maxim Tabachnik
Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix
The Rape of ProserpinaThe Rape of ProserpinaThe Rape of ProserpinaThe Rape of ProserpinaThe Rape of ProserpinaThe Rape of ProserpinaThe Rape of ProserpinaCerberus
Adoration of the ChildDavidApollo and DaphneThe Council of the GodsSaint Jerome WritingAeneas, Anchises, and AscaniusThe EntombmentYoung Sick BacchusDavid with the Head of GoliathApollo and Daphne with The Apotheosis of RomulusMadonna and Child with St AnneRoman Civilization and the Heroic Virtue of HonorBoy with a Basket of FruitSacred and Profane LoveMax Amid Roman EchoesThe Apotheosis of RomulusTruth Unveiled by TimeBust of Cardinal Scipione BorgheseYoung Woman with a UnicornHistoric Gardens of Villa BorgheseAtlantes and DeitiesMax aming Berninis and CaravaggiosPope Paul V BorghesePope Paul VMax Contemplates Bernini’s Pluto and ProserpinaVenus Blindfolding CupidFireplace

CerberusdetailGian Lorenzo Bernini

1154
This vivid detail of Cerberus, the three-headed hound of Hades, anchors Bernini’s Rape of Proserpina (1621–22) in the underworld. Each snarling head is carved with anatomical precision, emphasizing Pluto’s dominion over death. The mythic beast underscores the violent rupture between the world above and the realm below.