Dome

Information plaque with photo that shows the fragments embedded in a cast to complete the relief; An Early Imperial, Augustan, copy of a Greek marble relief of ca. 450-425 BCE found at Eleusis (sanctuary of Demeter) and now in the National Museum, Athens. The ten Roman fragments have been set into a cast of the original relief. Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, stands at the left, holding a scepter. At the right is Persephone, her daughter. Each goddess extends her right hand toward a nude youth, but it is no longer possible to determine what they held. The boy is thought to be Triptolemos, who was sent by Demeter to teach men how to cultivate grain. Compared to the original, the execution of the hair and drapery in the copy is sharper and accords with the style current in Augustan art. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art [website]; http://www.metmuseum.org (accessed 5/14/2015)