Charon is the ferryman of Hades who carries sousl of the newly deceased across the river Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. The marble sculpture was carved by Charles-Francois Hutin (Paris, 1715 - Dresde, 1776), made for the Royal Academy in 1744.

A coin to pay Charon for passage, usually an obolus or danake, was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person. Some authors say that those who could not pay the fee, or those whose bodies were left unburied, had to wander the shores for one hundred years. In the catabasis mytheme, heroes – such as Heracles, Orpheus, Aeneas, Theseus, Sisyphus, Dionysus, Odysseusand Psyche – journey to the underworld and return, still alive, conveyed by the boat of Charon.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.