A History of European Art

Lecture 31: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Gian Lorenzo Bernini:

Apollo and Daphne, 1622–25, marble, 8’ H (2.4 m H), Galleria Borghese,

Rome, Italy.

Baldacchino, 1624–33, gilt bronze, 85’ H (26 m H), Basilica of

St. Peter’s, Rome, Italy.

Ecstasy of St. Teresa and Family Cardinals, 1645–52, marble, Cornaro

Chapel, Church of Sta. Maria della Vittoria, Rome, Italy.

Fountain of the Four Rivers, 1648–51, travertine and marble, Piazza

Navona, Rome, Italy.

Piazza before St. Peter’s, 1656–67, Rome, Italy.

Pluto and Persephone, 1621–22, marble, 7’ 4 ½” H (2.23 m H), Galleria

Borghese, Rome, Italy.

St. Longinus, 1629–38, marble, 14’ 9” H (4.5 m H), Basilica of

St. Peter’s, Rome, Italy.

Giovanni da Bologna:

Rape of a Sabine Woman, 1579–83, marble, 13’ 5 ½” H (4.1 m H),

Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence, Italy.

Ave ry, Bernini.

Scribner, Masters of Art.

1. We have studied several paintings depicting mythological subjects.
   How does Bernini’s sculptural medium change the presentation of
   the subject?


2. How does Bernini unify the elements of the Baldacchino in his design?

Works Discussed

Suggested Reading

Questions to Consider