Bernini also worked on a smaller scale, notably in the field of sculpted busts (head, neck, shoulders, and partial chest and upper arms). He created about 50 such works. Sculpted marble portraits from the period are rarer than painted ones due to the costlier material and the intense labor required.
Recognizing Talent
Baroque art was the pervading taste in Europe in the 17th century, becoming the first visual style to have substantial global influence. Its invention is often credited to Bernini. He was certainly the greatest exponent of this highly ornate, theatrical style that prized dynamism, movement, and emotion.
Born in Naples to a Florentine sculptor, under whom he trained, Bernini was a child prodigy. He spent most of his life in Rome, and his talent was spotted early on by Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577–1633), one of Rome’s wealthiest men as well as a nephew of Pope Paul V. A prominent art collector, the cardinal commissioned a series of four large narrative sculptures from Bernini that drew from mythology (including “Apollo and Daphne") and the Bible (“David”) for his home known as Villa Borghese Pinciana. Bernini excelled in every sculptural genre, and these works are justly famous.
Above all, the cardinal wanted to be commemorated in a portrait bust by Bernini. His wish was granted in 1632, a year before he died. The Borghese Gallery displays Bernini’s “Two Busts of Cardinal Scipione Borghese” along with a substantial portion of the noble Italian Borghese family’s art collection. Much of these holdings can be traced to the cardinal himself. Indeed, the museum is housed in the cardinal’s former villa.
Twin Busts
Examining the first bust, one notices how the cardinal’s mouth is shown slightly open with pursed lips, as if he were about to speak to the viewer. This innovative depiction of a “speaking likeness” is usually credited to Bernini. The cardinal’s eyes with their pronounced pupil carving are interpreted by scholars as vivaciously sparkling. The twisted head and tilted biretta convey movement. However, there is also a sense of everyday realism highlighted by Bernini’s attention to detail. The cardinal’s buttons strain against his girth, and one is almost undone.
In the book “Bernini and the Excesses of Art,” Robert Torsten Petersson explains that when Bernini was in the final stages of completing the first version, disaster struck. A crack appeared along an inherent fault line in the marble in response to a light tap of the chisel. The mark was visible on the brow and straight through to the back of the neck. Bernini tried two acts of rescue: a pin dropped down the biretta to close the split and a C-clamp at the back. If it had been a wider fissure, the sculpture would not have been able to stay together. The artist continued to work on the bust, and it may be that it was not until the final polishing that the crack became conspicuous, which it still is today.
Bernini had no choice but to start over. He did not want to disappoint his patron who had become a dear friend. In secret, he had a new marble block transported to his studio. The artist worked on a fast-paced schedule and was able to finish the new sculpture in either three or 15 days, as accounts vary. His hard work was rewarded: The cardinal was disheartened upon seeing the original damaged bust but was thrilled by the second. These two sculptures are nearly identical. However, the general consensus is that the first version is superior due to how Bernini captured the movement and liveliness of his sitter.
A leader in the Baroque movement, Bernini set the standard for portrait busts for generations of artists. A visit to the Borghese Gallery entails experiencing magnificent marvels, but these smaller Bernini works call out for attention.
