Grenade

In Greek myth, the pomegranate is the fruit Persephone eats in the kingdom of the dead. By swallowing a few seeds she bound herself to Hades for eternity, giving rise to the myth of the seasons: she spends part of the year in the Underworld, bringing winter, and the rest on Earth, marking the return of spring. Chrystiane Charles has cast the crowned sphere in gilt bronze, skin taut, calyx open at the top into chased points. The pomegranate rests on a cubic pedestal. The brass shade, black ringed with gold and topped with a finial, heightens its gleam. The light slides over the full skin of the fruit.