By Anne Leader
Happy Birthday Bernini! The great Baroque artist Gianlorenzo Bernini was born in Naples on 7 December 1598. Like Michelangelo before him, Bernini was best known for his virtuoso sculpture but also excelled at painting and architecture. His dramatic designs and exquisite craftsmanship earned him the reputation of the greatest sculptor of his day, and he was widely sought after by cardinals, popes, and kings.
Reference: Michael P. Mezzatesta and Rudolf Preimesberger. “Bernini.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press.
Pluto and Proserpina, detail. 1621-2, marble. Rome: Galleria Borghese.
Self Portrait, about age 25. Rome: Galleria Borghese.
Cathedra Petri, 1656-7, marble, bronze, glass. Rome: St. Peter’s.
Tomb of Pope Alexander VII, 1671-8, marble and bronze. Rome: St. Peter’s
Baldacchino, 1623-4, gilded bronze. Rome: St. Peter’s.
Apollo and Daphne, 1622-5, marble. Rome: Galleria Borghese.
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and onlookers, 1647-52, marble. Rome: Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria.
Beata Lodovica Albertoni, 1671-4. Rome: Altieri-Albertoni Chapel, San Francesco a Ripa.
Piazza San Pietro, 1656-7. Rome.