Contemporary Vanitas #2

“Pluto and Proserpina”, executed between 1621 and 1622 by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, captures the moment when Pluto, god of the underworld, abducts Proserpina, daughter of Zeus, and carries her back to the underworld to be his wife.
The artist choses to focus on the breathtaking detail of the dimpling of Proserpina's flesh as Pluto's fingers dig into her thigh and waist, and to add a typical vanitas symbol – flowers – which through their vibrant colors contrast the harshness of the Baroque marble sculptural group.