Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Self-Portrait of Bernini, c. 1623

Birth name Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Born 7 December 1598Naples, Kingdom of Naples, in present-day Italy

Died 28 November 1680 (aged 81)Rome, Papal States, in present-day Italy

Nationality Italian

Field Sculpture, painting, architecture

Movement Baroque style

Works David, Apollo and Daphne, The Rape of Proserpina, Ecstasy of Saint Theresa

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (also spelled Gianlorenzo or Giovanni Lorenzo) (Naples, 7 December 1598 – Rome, 28November 1680) was an Italian artist and a prominent architect[1] who worked principally in Rome. He was theleading sculptor of his age, credited with creating the Baroque style of sculpture.[2] In addition, he painted, wroteplays, and designed metalwork and stage sets.A student of classical sculpture, Bernini possessed the ability to capture, in marble, the essence of a narrativemoment with a dramatic naturalistic realism which was almost shocking. This ensured that he effectively became thesuccessor of Michelangelo, far outshining other sculptors of his generation, including his rival, Alessandro Algardi.His talent extended beyond the confines of his sculpture to consideration of the setting in which it would be situated;his ability to synthesise sculpture, painting and architecture into a coherent conceptual and visual whole has beentermed by the art historian Irving Lavin the "unity of the visual arts".[3] A deeply religious man, working in CounterReformation Rome, Bernini used light as an important metaphorical device in the perception of his religious settings,often using hidden light sources that could intensify the focus of religious worship,[4] or enhance the dramaticmoment of a sculptural narrative.Bernini was also a leading figure in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture along with his contemporaries, the architect, Francesco Borromini and the painter and architect, Pietro da Cortona. Early in their careers they had all worked at the same time at the Palazzo Barberini, initially under Carlo Maderno and on his death, under Bernini. Later on, however, they were in competition for commissions and fierce rivalries developed, particularly between

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 2

Bernini and Borromini.[5][6] Despite the arguably greater architectural inventiveness of Borromini and Cortona,Bernini's artistic pre-eminence, particularly during the reigns of popes Urban VIII (1623–1644) and Alexander VII(1655–1665), meant he was able to secure the most important commission in the Rome of his day, St. Peter'sBasilica. His design of the Piazza San Pietro in front of the Basilica is one of his most innovative and successfularchitectural designs.During his long career, Bernini received numerous important commissions, many of which were associated with thepapacy. At an early age, he came to the attention of the papal nephew, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, and in 1621, atthe age of only 23, he was knighted by Pope Gregory XV. Following his accession to the papacy, Urban VIII isreported to have said, "Your luck is great to see Cardinal Maffeo Barberini Pope, Cavaliere; but ours is much greaterto have Cavalier Bernini alive in our pontificate."[7] Although he did not fare so well during the reign of Innocent X,under Alexander VII, he once again regained pre-eminent artistic domination and continued to be held in high regardby Clement IX.Bernini and other artists fell from favour in later neoclassical criticism of the Baroque. It is only from the late 19thcentury that art historical scholarship, in seeking an understanding of artistic output in the cultural context in which itwas produced, has come to recognise Bernini's achievements and restore his artistic reputation.

Early lifeBernini was born in Naples to a Mannerist sculptor, Pietro Bernini, originally from Florence, and Angelica Galante,a Neapolitan, the sixth of their thirteen children.[8][9] Bernini himself would not marry until May 1639, at ageforty-one, when he wed a twenty-two-year-old Roman girl, Caterina Tezio, in an arranged marriage. She bore himeleven children including youngest son Domenico Bernini who became his first biographer.[10] In 1606, at the age ofeight he accompanied his father to Rome, where Pietro was involved in several high profile projects.[11] There, as aboy, Gianlorenzo's skill was soon noticed by the painter Annibale Carracci and by Pope Paul V, and he soon gainedthe important patronage of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the papal nephew. His first works were inspired by antiqueHellenistic sculpture.

Rise to master sculptor

Apollo and Daphne (1622–1625)

Under the patronage of the Cardinal Borghese, the young Berninirapidly rose to prominence as a sculptor. Among the early works forthe cardinal were decorative pieces for the garden of the VillaBorghese such as The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Zeus and a Faun,and several allegorical busts such as the Damned Soul and BlessedSoul. By the time he was 22, he had completed the Bust of Pope PaulV. Scipione's collection in situ at the Borghese gallery chronicles hissecular sculptures, with a series of masterpieces:

• Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius (1619) depicts three ages of manfrom various viewpoints, borrowing from a figure in a Raphaelfresco. In The Aeneid, Aeneas flees the burning city of Troy,carrying his father and his son at his heels. His father holds thehousehold gods and his son holds the eternal flame. Aeneas is thefounder of Latium, later Italy, and the father of the Romans. Thesculpture is in a very Mannerist upwards spiral.

• The Rape of Proserpina (1621–1622) recalls Giambologna'sMannerist Rape of the Sabine Women, and displays wonderful skill in carving, most notably the hand of Plutopushing into the soft flesh of Prosperina's leg.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 3

• Apollo and Daphne (1622–1625) has been widely admired since Bernini's time; along with the subsequentsculpture of David it represents the introduction of a new sculptural aesthetic. It depicts the most dramatic anddynamic moment in one of Ovid's stories in his Metamorphoses. In the story, Apollo, the god of light, scoldedEros, the god of love, for playing with adult weapons. In retribution, Eros wounded Apollo with a golden arrowthat induced him to fall madly in love at the sight of Daphne, a water nymph sworn to perpetual virginity, who, inaddition, had been struck by Eros with a lead arrow which caused her to harshly spurn Apollo's advances. Thesculpture depicts the moment when Apollo finally captures Daphne, yet she has implored her father, the river god,to destroy her beauty and repel Apollo's advances by transforming her into a laurel tree. This statue succeeds atvarious levels: it depicts the event and also represents an elaborate conceit of sculpture. This sculpture tracks themetamorphoses as a representation in stone of a person changing into lifeless vegetation; in other words, while asculptor's art is to change inanimate stone into animated narrative, this sculpture narrates the opposite, themoment a woman becomes a tree.

• David (1623–1624), like the Apollo and Daphne, marked a stylistic difference from Reniassance sculptural work,with an emphasis on suggesting the movement of the characters and their integration as part of a narrative. Themost obvious contrast is Michelangelo, who portrayed David prior to his battle with Goliath, implying thepsychological strength necessary for the task at hand. The twisted torso, furrowed forehead, and taut grimace ofBernini's David epitomise the Baroque concern over movement and emotion over High Renaissance stasis andclassical severity. Michelangelo expressed David's inner strength, preparing for battle; Bernini captures themoment when he actually becomes a hero.[12]

Mature sculptural output

Ecstasy of St. Theresa (1647–1652)

Bernini's sculptural output was immense and varied. Amonghis other well-known sculptures: the Ecstasy of St. Theresa, inthe Cornaro Chapel (see Bernini's Cornaro chapel: thecomplete work of art found in the Baroque section), SantaMaria della Vittoria, and the now-hidden Constantine, at thebase of the Scala Regia (which he designed). He was giventhe commission for the Tomb of Pope Urban VIII in St Peters.He helped design the Ponte Sant'Angelo, sculpting two of theangels, soon replaced by copies by his own hand, while theothers were made by his pupils based on his designs.

At the end of April 1665, at the height of his fame and powershe travelled to Paris, where he remained until November; hemet Paul Fréart de Chantelou who kept a Journal of Bernini'svisit.[13] Bernini's international popularity was such that onhis walks in Paris the streets were lined with admiring crowds.This trip, encouraged by Father Oliva, general of the Jesuits,was a response to the repeated requests for his works by KingLouis XIV. Here Bernini presented some designs for the eastfront of the Louvre. which were ultimately rejected. He soonlost favor at the French court as he praised the art andarchitecture of Italy over that of France; he said that a painting by Guido Reni was worth more than all of Paris. Thesole work remaining from his time in Paris is a bust of Louis XIV, which set the standard for royal portraiture for acentury.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 4

ArchitectureBernini's architectural works include sacred and secular buildings and sometimes their urban settings andinteriors.[14] He made adjustments to existing buildings and designed new constructions. Amongst his most wellknown works are the Piazza San Pietro (1656–1667), the piazza and colonnades in front of St. Peter's Basilica andthe interior decoration of the Basilica. Amongst his secular works are a number of Roman palaces: following thedeath of Carlo Maderno, he took over the supervision of the building works at the Palazzo Barberini from 1630 onwhich he worked with Borromini; the Palazzo Ludovisi (now Palazzo Montecitorio)(started 1650); and the PalazzoChigi (now Palazzo Chigi-Odescalchi) (started 1664).

St. Peter's baldachin

His first architectural projects were the façade and refurbishment of thechurch of Santa Bibiana (1624–1626) and the St. Peter's baldachin(1624–1633), the bronze columned canopy over the high altar of St.Peter's Basilica. In 1629, and before St. Peter's baldachin wascomplete, Urban VIII put him in charge of all the ongoing architecturalworks at St Peter's. However, due to political reasons andmiscalculations in his design of the bell-towers for St. Peter's, of whichonly one was completed and then subsequently torn down, Bernini fellout of favor during the Pamphili papacy of Innocent X.[15] Neverwholly without patronage, Bernini then regained a major role in thedecoration of St. Peter's with the Pope Alexander VII Chigi, leading tohis design of the piazza and colonnade in front of St. Peter's. Further significant works by Bernini at the Vaticaninclude the Scala Regia, (1663–6) the monumental grand stairway entrance to the Vatican Palace and the CathedraPetri, the Chair of Saint Peter, in the apse of St. Peter's.

Colonnade of Piazza San Pietro

Bernini did not build many churches from scratch, rather his effortswere concentrated on pre-existing structures, and in particular St.Peter's. He fulfilled three commissions for new churches; his statureallowed him the freedom to design the structure and decorate theinteriors in a consistent manner. Best known is the small oval baroquechurch of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, a work which Bernini's son,Domenico, reports his father was very pleased with.[16] Bernini alsodesigned churches in Castelgandolfo (San Tommaso da Villanova,1658–1661) and Ariccia (Santa Maria Assunta, 1662–1664).

When Bernini was invited to Paris in 1665 to prepare works for LouisXIV, he presented designs for the east facade of the Louvre Palace but his projects were ultimately turned down infavour of the more stern and classic proposals of the French doctor and amateur architect Claude Perrault,[17]

signalling the waning influence of Italian artistic hegemony in France. Bernini's projects were essentially rooted inthe Italian Baroque urbanist tradition of relating public buildings to their settings, often leading to innovativearchitectural expression in urban spaces like piazze or squares. However, by this time, the French absolutistmonarchy now preferred the classicising monumental severity of Perrault's facade, no doubt with the added politicalbonus that it been designed by a Frenchman. The final version did, however, include Bernini's feature of a flat roofbehind a Palladian balustrade.

In 1639, Bernini bought property on the corner of the via Mercede and the via del Collegio di Propaganda Fide in Rome. On this site he built himself a palace, the Palazzo Bernini, at what are now Nos 11 and 12 via della Mercede. He lived at No. 11 but this was extensively changed in the 19th century. It has been noted how very galling it must have been for Bernini to witness through the windows of his dwelling, the construction of the tower and dome of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte by his rival, Borromini, and also the demolition of the chapel that he, Bernini, had designed

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 5

at the Collegio di Propaganda Fide to see it replaced by Borromini's chapel.[18]

Fountains in Rome

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi

True to the decorative dynamism of Baroque, among Bernini's mostgifted creations were his Roman fountains that were both public worksand papal monuments. His fountains include the Fountain of the Tritonor Fontana del Tritone and the Barberini Fountain of the Bees, theFontana delle Api.[19] The Fountain of the Four Rivers or Fontana deiQuattro Fiumi in the Piazza Navona is a masterpiece of spectacle andpolitical allegory. An oft-repeated, but false, anecdote tells that one ofthe Bernini's river gods defers his gaze in disapproval of the facade ofSant'Agnese in Agone (designed by the talented, but less politicallysuccessful, rival Francesco Borromini). However, the fountain wasbuilt several years before the façade of the church was completed. Bernini was also the artist of the statue of theMoor in La Fontana del Moro in Piazza Navona (1653).

Marble portraiture

Bust of Cardinal Armand de Richelieu(1640–1641)

Bernini also revolutionized marble busts, lending glamorous dynamismand animation to the stony stillness of portraiture. Starting with theimmediate pose, leaning out of the frame, of bust of Monsignor Pedrode Foix Montoya at Santa Maria di Monserrato, Rome. Theonce-gregarious Cardinal Scipione Borghese, in his bust is frozen inconversation.

His most famous portrait is that of Costanza Bonarelli (c. 1637). Itdoes not portray divinity or royalty, but a woman in a moment ofdisheveled privacy. Bernini had an affair with Costanza, who was thewife of one of Bernini's assistants. When Bernini suspected Costanzato be involved with his brother, he badly beat him and ordered a servant to slash her face with a razor. Pope UrbanVIII intervened on his behalf and he was fined.[20]

Bernini also gained royal commissions from outside Italy, for subjects such as Louis XIV, Cardinal Richelieu,Francesco I d'Este, Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria. The last two were produced in Italy from portraitsmade by Van Dyck (now in the royal collection), though Bernini preferred to produce portraits from life – the bustof Charles was lost in the Whitehall Palace fire of 1698 and that of Henrietta Maria was not undertaken due to theoutbreak of the English Civil War.[21][22]

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 6

Other works

Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1665, painted byGiovanni Battista Gaulli

The Elephant and Obelisk, affectionately known as Bernini's Chick bythe Roman people, is located in the Piazza della Minerva and in frontof the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Pope Alexander VIIdecided that he wanted an ancient Egyptian obelisk to be erected in thepiazza and in 1665 he commissioned Bernini to create a sculpture tosupport the obelisk. The sculpture of an elephant bearing the obelisk onits back was created by one of Bernini's students, Ercole Ferrata andfinished in 1667. An inscription on the base aligns the Egyptiangoddess Isis and the Roman goddess Minerva with the Virgin Marywho the church is dedicated to.[23] A popular anecdote concerns theelephant's smile. To find out why it is smiling, the viewer must headaround to the rear end of the animal and to see that its muscles aretensed and its tail is shifted to the left as if it were defecating. Theanimal's rear is pointed directly at the office of Father Giuseppe Paglia,a Dominican friar, who was one of the main antagonists of Bernini andhis artist friends, as a final salute and last word.[24]

The grave of Bernini in the Basilica di SantaMaria Maggiore

Bernini worked along with Ercole Ferrata to create a much admiredfountain for the Lisbon palace of the Portuguese nobleman, the Countof Ericeira. For the same patron he also created a series of paintingswith the battles of Louis XIV as subject. These works were lost as thepalace, its great library and the rich art collection of the Counts ofEriceira, were destroyed along with most of central Lisbon as a resultof the great earthquake of 1755.

The death of his patron Urban VIII in 1644 and the election of thePamphilj pope, Innocent X, initially marked a downturn in Bernini'scareer and released a series of opportunities for Bernini's rivals.

However, within several years, Innocent reinstated him at St Peter's to work on the extended nave and commissionedthe Four Rivers fountain in the Piazza Navona. At the time of Innocent's death in 1655, Bernini was the arbiter ofpublic artistic taste in Rome. His artistic ascendency continued under Alexander VII.

He died in Rome in 1680, and was buried in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.Among the many who worked under his supervision were Luigi Bernini, Stefano Speranza, Giuliano Finelli, AndreaBolgi, Filippo Parodi, Giacomo Antonio Fancelli, Lazzaro Morelli, Francesco Baratta Nicodemus Tessin, andFrancois Duquesnoy. Among his rivals in architecture were Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona; insculpture, Alessandro Algardi.

First biographies of BerniniThe most important primary source for the life of Bernini is the biography written by his youngest son, Domenico, entitled Vita del Cavalier Gio. Lorenzo Bernino, published in 1713, though first compiled in the last years of his father's life (c. 1675–80).[25] Filippo Baldinucci's Life of Bernini, was published in 1682 and a meticulous private journal, the Diary of the Cavaliere Bernini's Visit to France, was kept by the Frenchman Paul Fréart de Chantelou during the artist's four-month stay from June–October 1665 at the court of King Louis XIV. Also there is a short biographical narrative, The Vita Brevis of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, written by his eldest son, Monsignor Pietro Filippo

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 7

Bernini, in the mid-1670s,[26]

Until the late 20th century, it was generally believed that two years after Bernini's death, Queen Christina of Sweden,then living in Rome, commissioned Filippo Baldinucci to write his biography which was published in Florence in1682.[27] However, recent research has suggested that it was in fact Bernini's sons (and specifically the eldest son,Mons. Pietro Filippo) who commissioned the biography from Baldinucci sometime in the late 1670s, with the intentof publishing it while their father was still alive. This would imply that firstly, that the commission did not comefrom Queen Christina who would have merely lent her name as patron and secondly, that Baldinucci's narrative waslargely derived from Domenico Bernini's biography of his father, evidenced by the large amount of text repeatedverbatim.[28] In sum, Domenico's biography, though published later than Baldinucci's, represents the earlier andmore important full-length biographical source of Bernini's life, even though it may idealize a number of facts.

Selected works

Sculpture

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi

Blessed Ludovica Albertoni

• Bust of Giovanni Battista Santoni (c. 1613–1616) Marble, life-size,

Santa Prassede, Rome

• The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun (1615)Marble, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• A Faun Teased by Children (1616–1617) Marble, height 132,1 cm,

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

• Martyrdom of St. Lawrence (1617) Marble, 66 x 108 cm, Contini Bonacossi

Collection, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

• St. Sebastian (1617–1618) Marble, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid

• Bust of Pope Paul V (1618) Marble, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius (1618–1619) Marble, height 220 cm,

Galleria Borghese, Rome

• Bust of Giovanni Vigevano (1618–1631) Marble tomb, Santa Maria sopra

Minerva, Rome

• Damned Soul (1619) Palazzo di Spagna, Rome

• Blessed Soul (1619) Palazzo di Spagna, Rome

• Neptune and Triton (1620) Marble, height 182,2 cm, Victoria and Albert

Museum, London

• Bust of Monsignor Pedro de Foix Montoya (c. 1621) Marble, life-size,

Santa Maria di Monserrato, Rome

• The Rape of Proserpina (1621–1622) Marble, height 295 cm, Galleria

Borghese, Rome

• Bust of Antonio Cepparelli (1622) Marble, Museo di San Giovanni dei

Fiorentini, Rome

• Apollo and Daphne (1622–1625) Marble, height 243 cm, Galleria Borghese,

Rome

• David (1623–1624) Marble, height 170 cm, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• St. Peter's Baldachin (1624) Bronze, partly gilt, Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City

• Fontana del Tritone (1624–1643) Travertine, over life-size, Piazza Barberini, Rome

• Charity with Four Children (1627–1628) Terracotta, height 39 cm, Museo Sacro, Musei Vaticani, Vatican

• Fontana della Barcaccia (1627–1628) Marble, Piazza di Spagna, Rome

• Tomb of Pope Urban VIII (1627–1647) Golden bronze and marble, figures larger than life-size, Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 8

• Saint Longinus (1631–1638) Marble, height 450 cm, Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City

• Two Busts of Scipione Borghese (1632) Marble, height 78 cm, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• Bust of Pope Urban VIII (1632–1633) Bronze, height 100 cm, Museo Sacro, Musei Vaticani, Vatican City

• Charity with Two Children (1634) Terracotta, height 41.6 cm, Museo Sacro, Musei Vaticani, Vatican City

• Bust of Costanza Bonarelli (c. 1635) Marble, height 70 cm, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence

• Bust of Thomas Baker (1638) Marble, height 81,6 cm, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

• Bust of Cardinal Armand de Richelieu (1640–1641) Marble, Musée du Louvre, Paris

• Truth (1645–1652) Marble, height 280 cm, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• Ecstasy of St. Theresa (1647–1652) Marble, Cappella Cornaro, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome

• Loggia of the Founders (1647–1652) Marble, Cappella Cornaro, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome

• Memorial to Maria Raggi (1647–1653) Gilt bronze and coloured marble, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome

• Bust of Urban VIII Marble, Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City

• Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (1648–1651) Travertine and marble, Piazza Navona, Rome

• Bust of Pope Innocent X (c. 1650) Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Rome

• Corpus (1650) Bronze, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada.

• Daniel and the Lion (1650) Marble, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome

• Francesco I d'Este (1650–1651) Marble, height 107 cm, Galleria Estense, Modena

• Fountain of the Moor (1653–1654) Marble, Piazza Navona, Rome

• The Vision of Constantine (1654–1670) Marble, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican City

• Daniel and the Lion (1655) Terracotta, height 41.6 cm, Museo Sacro, Musei Vaticani, Vatican City

• Habakkuk and the Angel (1655) Terracotta, height 52 cm, Museo Sacro, Musei Vaticani, Vatican City

• Altar Cross (1657–1661) Gilt bronze corpus on bronze cross, height: corpus 43 cm, cross 185 cm, Treasury of San Pietro, Vatican City

• Throne of Saint Peter (1657–1666) Marble, bronze, white and golden stucco, Basilica di San Pietro, Rome

• Statue of Saint Augustine (1657–1666) Bronze, Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City

• Saint Jerome (1661–1663) Marble, height 180 cm, Cappella Chigi, Duomo, Siena

• Constantine, Scala Regia (1663–1670) Marble with painted stucco drapery, Scala Regia, Vatican Palace, Rome

• Bust of Louis XIV (1665) White marble, height 105 cm, salon de Diane, Musée National de Versailles, Versailles

• Elephant and Obelisk (erected 1667) Marble, Piazza di Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome

• Standing Angel with Scroll (1667–1668) Clay, terracotta, height: 29,2 cm, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge

• Angel with the Crown of Thorns (1667–1669) Marble, over life-size, Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, Rome

• Angel with the Superscription (1667–1669) Marble, over life-size, Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, Rome

• Bust of Gabriele Fonseca (1668–1675) Marble, over life-size, San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome

• Equestrian Statue of King Louis XIV (1669–1670) Terracotta, height 76 cm, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• Herm of St. Stephen, King of Hungary Bronze, Cathedral of Zagreb Treasury, Zagreb

• Blessed Ludovica Albertoni (1671–1674) Marble, Cappella Altieri-Albertoni, San Francesco a Ripa, Rome

• Tomb of Pope Alexander VII (1671–1678) Marble and gilded bronze, over life-size, Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican City

PaintingsBernini's activity as a painter was a sideline which he did mainly in his youth. Despite this his work reveals a sureand brilliant hand, free from any trace of pedantry. He studied in Rome under his father, Pietro, and soon proved aprecocious infant prodigy. His work was immediately sought after by major collectors.• Self-Portrait as a Young Man (c. 1623) Oil on canvas, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• Saint Andrew and Saint Thomas (c. 1627) Oil on canvas, 59 x 76 cm, National Gallery, London

• Self-Portrait as a Mature Man (1630–1635) Oil on canvas, Galleria Borghese, Rome

• Portrait of a Boy (c. 1638) Oil on canvas, Galleria Borghese, Rome

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 9

Gallery

St. Peter's colonade St. Peter's Square St. Peter's baldachin Ponte St. Angelo angels

Palazzo Montecitorio, theItalian Parliament

Ecstasy of St. Theresa Apollo andDaphne

Bust of AntonioCepparelli

Bust of Pope Urban VIII Self-portrait

References[1] "Gian Lorenzo Bernini" (http:/ / www. britannica. com/ EBchecked/ topic/ 62547/ Gian-Lorenzo-Bernini). Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Encyclopædia Britannica. . Retrieved 2012-12-06.[2] Boucher, Bruce (1998). Italian Baroque Sculpture. Thames & Hudson (World of Art). pp. 134–42. ISBN 0500203075.[3] Lavin, Irving (1980). Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts. New York: Oxford University Press.[4] Hibbard, Howard (1965). Bernini. New York: Penguin. p. 136.[5] Mileti, Nick J. (2005). Beyond Michelangelo: The deadly rivalry between Bernini and Borromini. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corporation.[6] Morrissey, Jake (2005). Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini and the rivalry that transformed Rome. New York: Harper Perennial.[7][7] Hibbard, Howard (1965). p. 68.[8] Gallery.ca (http:/ / www. gallery. ca/ files/ Bernini_Biography_ENG. pdf)[9] Gale, Thomson. Gian Lorenzo Bernini Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2004. For list of Bernini's siblings, see Franco Mormando, Bernini:

His Life and His Rome (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011), pp. 2–3.[10] For Bernini's marriage to Caterina, and a list of Bernini's children, see Franco Mormando, Bernini: His Life and His Rome (University of

Chicago Press, 2011, pp. 109–116.[11] Gianlorenzo Bernini (http:/ / www. artchive. com/ artchive/ B/ bernini. html)[12] Hibbard, Howard (1965). Bernini. New York: Penguin. pp. 56–61.[13] See Gould, Cecil. Bernini in France, an episode in Seventeenth Century History, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1981[14] See Marder, Tod A. Bernini and the Art of Architecture Abbeville Press, New York and London, 1998[15] See McPhee, Sarah. Bernini and the bell towers: architecture and politics at the Vatican, Yale University Press, 2002[16] Magnuson Torgil, Rome in the Age of Bernini, Volume II, Almqvist & Wiksell, Stockholm, 1986: 202

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 10

[17] Probably made in collaboration with Lebrun and Le Vau, Blunt, Anthony. Architecture in France 1500–1700, Pelican History of Art, 1953,p. 232

[18] Blunt, Anthony. Guide to Baroque Rome, Granada, 1982, p. 166[19] This was dismantled in the nineteenth century and reassembled (incorrectly) in the twentieth in the Via Veneto. A second Fontana delle Api

in the Vatican has sometimes been attributed to Bernini of which Blunt has written, "Borromini is documented as having carved the fountainin 1626, but it is not certain whether he made the design for it, and it has also been attributed—not very plausibly—to Bernini." Blunt,Anthony. Borromini, Belknap Harvard, 1979, 17

[20] "Biographies – Gian Lorenzo Bernini" (http:/ / www. gallery. ca/ bernini/ en/ bernini. htm), National Gallery of Canada, , retrieved 29October 2009

[21] Triple Portrait of Charles I (http:/ / www. royalcollection. org. uk/ default. asp?action=article& ID=671)[22] Lionel Cust (31 March 2007). Van Dyck (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=Ay9zMlAZG9cC& pg=PA94). Wellhausen Press. p. 94.

ISBN 978-1-4067-7452-8. . Retrieved 19 April 2012.[23] Heckscher, W. Bernini's Elephant and Obelisk, Art Bulletin, XXIX, 1947, p. 155.[24] This anecdote regarding the Elephant and Obelisk monument (more formally, it is a monument to Divine Wisdom) is one of the many

undocumented popular legends circulating about Bernini. In truth of fact, Fr. Giuseppe Paglia was director of the overall project to reconstructthe piazza in front of Santa Maria Minerva, appointed by Pope Alexander VII and, as such, had supervisory authority over Bernini and thedesign of his Elephant and Obelisk monument. The final design of that monument in fact owes much to Paglia's direct intervention. Hence, itis unlikely that Paglia would have allowed this supposed insult to him or his Dominican order: see Franco Mormando, ed. and trans.,Domenico Bernini's Life of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (University Park: Penn State University Press, 2011), p. 369, n. 33.

[25] For a list and discussion of important sources for Bernini's life, see Franco Mormando, Bernini: His Life and His Rome (Chicago: Universityof Chicago Press, 2011), pp. 7–11.

[26] For a translation of The Vita Brevis, see Domenico Bernini's Life of Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Mormando, ed., 201 Appendix 1, pp. 237–41.[27] Baldinucci, Filippo, Life of Bernini. Translated from the Italian by Enggass, C. University Park, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006[28] See Mormando, Domenico Bernini's Life of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 2011, pp. 14–34. Christina's extant financial records nowhere report the

queen's having monetarily subsidized the publication Baldinucci's biography, which would have been her responsibility as patron.

Further reading• Avery, Charles (1997). Bernini: Genius of the Baroque. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0500092710.• Bacchi, Andrea, ed. (2009). I marmi vivi: Bernini e la nascita del ritratto barocco. Firenze: Firenze musei.

ISBN 978-8809742369.• Bacchi, Andrea, and Catherine Hess, Jennifer Montagu, ed. (2008). Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait

Sculpture. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 978-0892369324.• Baldinucci, Filippo (1966). The Life of Bernini. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.

ISBN 978-0271730769.• Baldinucci, Filippo (1682). Vita del cavaliere Gio. Lorenzo Bernino. Firenze: Stamperia di V. Vangelisti. Copy

(http:/ / books. google. co. uk/ books?id=ROtAAAAAYAAJ& pg=PR7) at Google Books.• Bernini, Domenico (1713). Vita del Cavalier Gio. Lorenzo Bernino. Rome: Rocco Bernabò. Copy (http:/ / books.

google. com/ books?id=6ngyAQAAMAAJ& pg=PP3) at Google Books.• Bernini, Domenico (2011, orig. publ. 1713). Franco Mormando. ed. The Life of Giano Lorenzo Bernini.

University Park: Penn State University Press. ISBN 9780271037486.• Borsi, Franco (2005). Bernini. Milano: Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0847805099.• Chantelou, Paul Fréart de (1985). Anthony Blunt. ed. Journal du voyage en France du cavalier Bernin. Princeton:

Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0833705310.• Delbeke, Maarten, and Evonne Levy, Steven F. Ostrow, ed. (2006). Bernini's biographies: critical essays.

University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.• Fagiolo Dell'Arco, Maurizio (1967). Bernini: una introduzione al gran teatro del barocco. Roma: M. Bulzoni.• Ferrari, Oreste (1991). Bernini. Firenze: Giunti Gruppo. ISBN 978-8809761537.• Fraschetti, Stanislao (1900). Il Bernini: La sua vita, la sua opera, il suo tempo. Milano: U.Hoepli.

ISBN 978-1248328897.• Gould, Cecil (1981). Bernini in France: An Episode in Seventeenth Century History. London: Weidenfeld and

Nicolson. ISBN 978-0297779445.• Hibbard, Howard (1990). Bernini. London: Penguin. ISBN 9780140135985.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 11

• Lavin, Irving (1980). Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts. New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0195201840.

• Lavin, Irving, ed. (1985). Gianlorenzo Bernini: New Aspects of his Art and Thought. University Park:Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-0271003870.

• Lavin, Irving (2007). Visible Spirit: The Art of Gianlorenzo Bernini. London: Pindar Press.ISBN 978-1899828395.

• Martinelli, Valentino, ed. (1996). L'ultimo Bernini (1665–1680): nuovi argomenti, documenti e immagini. Roma:Quasar. ISBN 978-8871400952.

• Mormando, Franco (2011). Bernini: His Life and His Rome. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.ISBN 9780226538525.

• Petersson, Robert T. (1970). The Art of Ecstasy: Teresa, Bernini, and Crashaw. London: Routledge & K. Paul.ISBN 978-0689705151.

• Petersson, Robert T. (2002). Bernini and the Excesses of Art. Florence: Maschietto editore.ISBN 978-8887700831.

• Pinton, Daniel (2009). Bernini. I Percorsi Nell'arte. Ediz. Inglese. ATS Italia Editrice. ISBN 978-8875717773.• Wittkower, Rudolf (1955). Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Sculptor of the Roman Baroque. London: Phaidon Press.

ISBN 978-0801414305.

External links• Checklist of Bernini's architecture and sculpture in Rome (http:/ / www. slowtrav. com/ italy/ rome/ es_bernini.

htm)• Excerpts from The life of the Cavaliers Bernini (http:/ / www. mcah. columbia. edu/ arthumanities/ pdfs/

arthum_bernini_reader. pdf)• Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the "A World History of Art" (http:/ / www. all-art. org/ baroque/ bernini1. html)• Extract on Bernini from (http:/ / arts. guardian. co. uk/ features/ story/ 0,,1873400,00. html) Simon Schama's The

Power of Art• Photographs of Bernini's Santa Maria Assunta (http:/ / www. fredcamper. com/ A/ Accretions/ AC001/ index.

html)• smARThistory: Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome (http:/ / smarthistory.

org/ blog/ 63/ berninis-ecstasy-of-st-theresa-cornaro-chapel-rome-c-1650/ )• Virtual tour of Rome visiting Bernini's key works (http:/ / www. witur. com/ ?tour=205)• Constantly updated list and discussion of the most recent archival discoveries regarding Bernini's biography and

works (http:/ / www. francomormando. com/ bernini-updates-2/ )

Article Sources and Contributors 12

Article Sources and ContributorsGian Lorenzo Bernini  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=536731223  Contributors: 28421u2232nfenfcenc, Alma Pater, Alobodig, Altenmann, Amosjo, Anonymous Dissident,Antique Rose, Antur, Arpingstone, Asisman, Attilios, Austriacus, AxelBoldt, BD2412, Backslash Forwardslash, Bede735, Bjankuloski06en, Bluemoose, Bobblewik, Boblikestits, Bobo192,Bonifore, BrokenSphere, Brutaldeluxe, Bwwm, CARAVAGGISTI, CMG, Calvin 1998, Camw, Caravaggisti, Charles Matthews, Chris the speller, Clarince63, Clasqm, Clawshripmy, Cobain,CommonsDelinker, Conversion script, Coyau, Cwtyler, DO'Neil, DS1953, DVD R W, Darkkish, Davide41, Den fjättrade ankan, Diligent, Dj Capricorn, Dogears, DomenicoStefano, Doopoo,Drszucker, Durin, Eagle193, Ebacherdom, Elfsareus, Ellywa, Erik Kennedy, Everyking, Favonian, Fgordillo, Focak, Fredcamper, GB802, Galoubet, Gcm, Gerald Farinas, Ghirlandajo,Gianfranco, Gisaster25, Gogo Dodo, GoingBatty, Gpetrov, Gradiva, Graham87, Guat6, Gugganij, Hektor, Howcheng, Htgoon, Humphradley, Ian Spackman, Int3gr4te, Isis, JNW, Jamesx12345,Jbyce, Jeff G., Jgallup1, Jhallmar, Jmanigold, Joe125, Joeyspqr, John of Lancaster, Johnbod, Johntex, Jojo1234, Jomsr, JorgeGG, Joseph Solis in Australia, Kaare, KennynneK, Kevinmon,Khazar2, Kingpin13, Kristen Eriksen, Ksnow, Kwork2, Lee M, Legaleagle86, Liftarn, LilHelpa, Little Mountain 5, Llorgge, Luceres, Lutetia, M-le-mot-dit, MK8, Magnus Manske, Mahmudss,Mandarax, Manorok, Manuel Anastácio, Marioamutis, Markus451, Master of Puppets, Mastrchf91, Materialscientist, Mattisse, Mav, Melesse, Mervyn, Michael Hardy, Michael Zimmermann,MichaelTinkler, Mightyxander, Mimmo46, MoRsE, Modernist, Moe Epsilon, Mohanad Zebib, MrDolomite, NativeForeigner, Neddyseagoon, Neiro Phorte, Nikhil authankar, Nunh-huh,Octahedron80, Ohconfucius, Opus33, Orion11M87, PGWG, PPerviz, Panairjdde, Patriot09060, Patrizia, Pearle, Pedestrian65, Pete Hobbs, Pethan, Primaler, Rakerman, Renice, Ricky81682,Rienzo, Rintrah, Rizalninoynapoleon, Rjwilmsi, Robert.Allen, RogDel, RuM, Rui Gabriel Correia, Ryan Postlethwaite, Ryulong, SantiDaVincio, Savant13, Scewing, Schlier22, Sfan00 IMG,Shadowlynk, SiefkinDR, Simonides, Skarioffszky, Sluzzelin, Solipsist, Sparkit, Srnec, Suisui, Sunwolf86, SwishPan, Tabletop, Tail, Tamarat, Tango7174, Tassedethe, TexasAndroid,Tharnton345, The Nut, The Rambling Man, The Thing That Should Not Be, Thumperward, Thuresson, TimothyPilgrim, Torvindos, Troyeseffigy, Tubedogg, Turzh, Uwaisis, Veggies, Veledan,WLU, Waacstats, Warrington, Wbuerkle, Welsh, Wetman, Wiki alf, Wikibob, William M. Connolley, Witza, Wizardman, WolfmanSF, WoodElf, Xcia0069, Yamamoto Ichiro, Zetawoof,Zzuuzz, 307 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Gian Lorenzo Bernini, self-portrait, c1623.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gian_Lorenzo_Bernini,_self-portrait,_c1623.jpg  License: Public Domain Contributors: Berrucomons, Boo-Boo Baroo, Cantons-de-l'Est, Ecummenic, Julia W, Mattes, Pe-Jo, Primaler, Scewing, Shakko, Shizhao, Sultan11Image:ApolloAndDaphne.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ApolloAndDaphne.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Int3gr4teFile:Santa teresa di bernini 03.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Santa_teresa_di_bernini_03.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors: sailkoImage:Baldachin petersdom.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Baldachin_petersdom.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: User Hadi on de.wikipediaImage:Rome basilica st peter 002.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Rome_basilica_st_peter_002.JPG  License: Public Domain  Contributors: MattanaFile:Rome Fontana dei Quattro Fiume 10-01-2011 11-54-14.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Rome_Fontana_dei_Quattro_Fiume_10-01-2011_11-54-14.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0  Contributors: Paul HermansFile:Richelieu le Bernin M.R.2165 mp3h9006.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Richelieu_le_Bernin_M.R.2165_mp3h9006.jpg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors: RamaFile:Gianlorenzo Bernini by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (National Galleries of Scotland).jpg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gianlorenzo_Bernini_by_Giovanni_Battista_Gaulli_(National_Galleries_of_Scotland).jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Primaler, ShakkoImage:Berninigrave.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Berninigrave.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: EbacherdomFile:Lazio Roma Navona2 tango7174.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Lazio_Roma_Navona2_tango7174.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Contributors: Tango7174Image:Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini-Blessed Ludovica Albertoni-Basilica of San Francesco a Ripa.jpg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Giovanni_Lorenzo_Bernini-Blessed_Ludovica_Albertoni-Basilica_of_San_Francesco_a_Ripa.jpg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Yair HaklaiFile:St. Peter's Square 3.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:St._Peter's_Square_3.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors:Wknight94File:StPetersBasilicaEarlyMorning.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:StPetersBasilicaEarlyMorning.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Apalsola, DenghiùComm,Juetho, Lilyu, Mac9, Para, Tillea, TomAltFile:Vatican Altar 2.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Vatican_Altar_2.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Patrick Landy (FSUGuy (talk)) Original uploader was FSU Guy at en.wikipediaFile:Ponte St. Angelo.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ponte_St._Angelo.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0  Contributors:WampileFile:Palazzo Montecitorio Rom 2009.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Palazzo_Montecitorio_Rom_2009.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Manfred HeydeFile:Santa teresa di bernini 04.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Santa_teresa_di_bernini_04.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors: sailkoFile:ApolloAndDaphne.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ApolloAndDaphne.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Int3gr4teFile:Gian lorenzo bernini, ritratto di antonio cepparelli, 1622, museo di san giovanni dei fiorentini.JPG  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gian_lorenzo_bernini,_ritratto_di_antonio_cepparelli,_1622,_museo_di_san_giovanni_dei_fiorentini.JPG  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors: sailkoFile:Gianlorenzo bernini, busto di urbano VIII 01.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gianlorenzo_bernini,_busto_di_urbano_VIII_01.JPG  License: GNU FreeDocumentation License  Contributors: sailkoFile:Gianlorenzo Bernini - Self-Portrait - WGA01973.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gianlorenzo_Bernini_-_Self-Portrait_-_WGA01973.jpg  License: PublicDomain  Contributors: Boo-Boo Baroo, Mattes, Primaler

LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/