Demeter - goddess of harvest and fertility.

Museum Collection: State Hermitage Museum,
St Petersburg, Russia
Class: Free-standing statue
Material: Marble

Demeter stands holding sheafs of wheat in one hand, and a fruiting cornucopia in the other. She is crowned with a wreath of fruit.

Eleusinian Demeter & Plutus, Apulian red-figure
loutrophoros C4th B.C., The J. Paul Getty Museum

"To Demeter Eleusinia. O universal mother, Deo famed, august, the source of wealth, and various named: great nurse, all-bounteous, blessed and divine, who joyest in peace; to nourish corn is thine.

Goddess of seed, of fruits abundant, fair, harvest and threshing are thy constant care.

Lovely delightful queen, by all desired, who dwellest in Eleusis' holy vales retired.

Nurse of all mortals, who benignant mind first ploughing oxen to the yoke confined; and gave to men what nature's wants require, with plenteous means of bliss, which all desire. In verdure flourishing, in glory bright, assessor of great Bromios [Dionysos] bearing light : rejoicing in the reapers' sickles, kind, whose nature lucid, earthly, pure, we find.

Prolific, venerable, nurse divine, thy daughter loving, holy Koure [Persephone].

A car with Drakones yoked 'tis thine to guide, and, orgies singing, round thy throne to ride.

Only-begotten, much-producing queen, all flowers are thine, and fruits of lovely green.

Bright Goddess, come, with summer's rich increase swelling and pregnant, leading smiling peace; come with fair concord and imperial health, and join with these a needful store of wealth."

Statue of Demeter of the "Madrid-Capitol" type, at the Prado Museum (Madrid, Spain). Roman copy, sculpted in marble in the early 3rd century CE, of a Greek original made for the Eleusis sanctuary circa 425-420 BC. Head and arms are Baroque additions.