Infant Ceres 1849 - 1853

"Infant Ceres" is a marble sculpture created by American sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer between 1849 and 1853. The sculpture, now located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts a young girl, possibly a portrait of the artist's daughter, with a contemplative expression, adorned with a garland of wheat, symbolic of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and harvest. This work exemplifies Palmer's skill in neoclassical style, capturing the idealized beauty of childhood and subtly referencing classical mythology.