Artistic Interpretations

There have been several paintings of Demeter throughout history. In these paintings Demeter is usually depicted with one of her symbols such as a cornucopia and her dauhter Persephone as these two below do.

The state seal of North Carolina- The state seal of North Carolina shows liberty, a woman standing, and plenty, a woman sitting. Demeter is the woman sitting alongside her symbol the cornucopia. In Ancient Greece, Demeter represented agriculture and the harvest and was credited with providing plenty of food for mankind. Demeter, alongside the cornucopia and wheat she is holding, alludes to an abundant harvest that would have been necessary for survival for the earliest colonists in North Carolina. North Carolina was heavily reliant on agriculture in the days of the thirteen colonies so Demeter was chosen to be in their state seal.

The Return of Persephone by Lord Frederick Leighton- This painting depicts Demeter receiving her daughter Persephone from Hermes,who was sent to the Underworld by Zeus to retrieve Persephone.While Persephone was trapped in the Underworld with Hades, Demeter made all of the lands barren and therefore no food was produced. And as you can see Demeter looks very happy as she receives Persephone back, and the sky looks like it would in the spring or summer. Demeter is usually depicted in darker clothing but in this case she is joyful and is in bright clothes because her daughter has returned