Several years ago, I came across Joseph Rykwert’s book, The Dancing Column. This sparked an exploration of the connection between the Demeter/Persephone myth and its visual trail over the centuries.

 

The phialae carried by the Erechtheion caryatids look nearly identical to the loaves of bread seen throughout the Mediterranean, and the Corinthian capital owes its form to the basket, stone and wild acanthus positioned over Persephone's grave. Such “pagan” images continue to play a prominent role in the architecture of Roman Catholic churches, even in the United States.

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In Panis Angelicus, hollowed-out Corinthian capitals are
transformed into cornucopiae overflowing with breads, among which are hidden a variety of putti (baby angels), Everything is presented in the same stark whiteness, blending the tangible with the ineffable, the material with the spiritual, and the architectural with the metaphorical. It was most recently shown as part of the exhibition MYTHOS at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA. A video tour, by the curator Dr. Michele Greet, can be accessed here.