The Greatest Ten of Gian Lorenzo Bernini

10. Bernini’s Mary Magdalena

The number ten on the list of greatest works of Bernini is the famous sculpture about Mary Magdalena. This statue is accompanied by the the sculpture of Saint Jerome and luckily both sculptures are present in the Chigi Chapel of the Siena Cathedral in Siena. The sculptures were created in 1661-1663.

9. Tritons Fountain

Picture from Wikipedia

Another great project from Gian Lorenzo Bernini is Tritions Fountain (Fontana del Tritone). This fountain is a 17th-century fountain and located in Rome at the Piazza Barberini. The fountain was created in 1643 and depicts the sea god Triton in the centre, sitting on a papal tiara (a crown that popes used to wear). The base of the foutain consists of four dolphins.

8. Bridge of Angels

The bridge itself has been around since the Middle Ages, but it has had many renewals. In 1669 Bernini took on one of his last large projects, commissioned by pope Clement IX. The project contained building ten angels holding instruments of the Passion. While most of the statues were done by students of Bernini, he personally finished two: the Angel with the Superscription “I.N.R.I.” and the Angel with the Crown of Thorns. These were kept by Pope Clement IX for his own pleasure and they are now located in the church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte in Rome.

7. Appollo and Daphne

The famous sculpture Appollo and Daphne is located at the Borghese Gallery. Bernini presents the moment when the god grabs the nymph who is about to transform into a laurel tree. The hands of Daphne are turning into branches and leaves, while her legs take the form of trunk and roots. It is said that the marble leaves are so thin that if you blow on them, they vibrate. This is another perfect example of the mastery of marble from Bernini.

6. Baldachin of St. Peter

The baldachin of Saint Peter (Baldacchino di San Pietro) is a remarkable work of art inside the Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. It is a large Baroque sculpture in bronze, which serves as a canopy over the altar of the basilica.

5. Ecstasy of St Theresa by Bernini

The ecstacy of Saint Theresa represents an angel in the act of piercing a saint. This statue is located in the Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, which is situated close to Piazza della Repubblica.

4. The Rapture of Proserpina

This sculpture is inspired by a story of Greek mythology and shows the powerful god of the underworld (Pluto) abducting Proserpina, daughter of Jupiter and Ceres. Especially the realization of the hands of Pluto is extremely realistic. They seem to sink into the skin of Proserpina as if it were really made of flesh and bone. Again, it shows the craftmanship of Bernini.

3. Bernini’s Elephant at Piazza della Minerva

Rome is supposed to have the most obelisks in the world and one of the most famous ones is used by Bernini. At the Piazza della Minerva there is an obelisk supported by an elephant. The obelisk was brought from Egypt to the times of Emperor Domitian, while the elephant dates back to 1667.

2. Colonnade of St. Peters (Vatican)

Bernini is not only famous for this sculptures, because one of his most famous works is the colonnade of St. Peter’s in the Vatican. The colonnade has an oval shape and is composed of three rows of columns. The precision of the columns is a real piece of art and considered a masterpiece of architecture.

When you are there, pay special attention to two specific points, because in the colonnade are two points from where it looks like the colonnade were composed of a single row of columns. From these points, marked by marble disks with the words “center of the colonnade”, the other columns are completely hidden from those of the first row.

1. Fountain of the Four Rivers (Bernini)

The Fountain of the Four Rivers is one of the most famous fountains in Rome. It is located in Piazza Navona and represents the four rivers of the world: the Danube for Europe, the Nile for Africa, the Ganges for Asia and Rio de la Plata for the Americas.
The four huge statues are decorated with an ancient obelisk.

All around there are the elements that tell the story of every river: plants, animals and treasures. A funny fact is that fact why the crocodile of the fountain of the four rivers is so strange: it is said that Bernini had never seen a crocodile so he gave it the appearance of a big armored lizard.

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