Persephone’s Pomegranate
A handcrafted clay pomegranate inspired by an 8th-century BCE prototype from the Archaeological Museum of Eleusis.
The pomegranate is one of the central symbols of the Eleusinian Mysteries, closely associated with Persephone. According to myth, when Zeus commanded Hades to release Kore (Persephone) so she could return to her mother, Demeter, the dark-robed lord of the Underworld cunningly gave her a “delicious berry of the pomegranate” to eat. By tasting the “honey-sweet fruit,” Persephone was bound to spend part of each year in the “realms of dark mist underneath,” separated from her mother.
Clay pomegranate models, often dedicated to fertility deities, were common offerings during the Late Geometric and Protocorinthian periods. By the Classical period, the pomegranate motif appeared widely in pottery, sculpture, jewelry, and figurines, consistently retaining its rich symbolic significance.
Dimensions H: 10,2 cm, Max L : 9,5 cm