This is one of many Roman replicas of a famous Greek bronze group made in the fourth century BC. The statue represents Eirene, the personification of Peace. The original Eirene stood at Athens in the Agora, marketplace and heart of the city. Ancient writers tell us that the original group was made by Kephisodotos, the father of the famous sculptor Praxiteles, and that it was set up in 375 B.C. The figure had a serene face and her hair was shown in long curls. She held the baby Ploutos, the personification of abundance.

The statue has an allegorical meaning. Eirene holds Ploutos like a mother; Peace nurtures Prosperity, a growing child in need of her care. Allegories of this kind were a new invention in Greek sculpture at the time when Kephisodotos made the prototype for this statue. Peace is an abstract concept, of course, and there was no obvious model for her human appearance. Here Eirene has the body type and costume of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. In a large relief nearby on the wall, you see an image of Demeter. If you turn back to Eirene, you see she both looks and acts like Demeter. At Athens, the statue expressed a wish: that lasting peace would make the city prosper.