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Judith and Holofernes
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Saint Francis in meditation
La Fornarina
Portrait of Henry VIII
Portrait of Pope Urban VIII Barberini - Painting
Portrait of Stefano IV Colonna
The Triumph of Divine Providence and the fulfillment of its ends under the pontificate of Urban VIII
Square staircase
Helical staircase
Allegory of Divine Wisdom
Portable tabernacle with the Pietà, scenes of saints and martyrs
Baptism of Christ
St. Mary Magdalene
Portrait of Urban VIII
Portrait of Beatrice Cenci
Mystical marriage of Saint Catherine and saints
Stories of the Passion of Christ
Portrait of Abbondio Rezzonico
Annunciation
Portrait of Urban VIII - Sculpture
Madonna with Child (Madonna Hertz)
Deposition of Christ in the tomb
Mystical marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
The suicide of Cleopatra
Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Barberini

Portrait of Urban VIII

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Displayed in:

Barberini Palace

Barberini Palace

Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13 , Rome

Closed now: open at 10:00

Verified profile

Observing this work, one can immediately perceive Gian Lorenzo Bernini's extraordinary ability to draw a vital breath out of inert matter. A result obtained through small, apparently secondary details: the lips that seem to be about to open, the unshaven beard on the cheeks, a button on the mozzetta not completely fastened, the irises of the eyes engraved with the tip of the drill. Details that freeze the fleeting moment of the present in stone, capture the moment, infuse the portrait with great immediacy and psychological individuality. All these elements testify to the exceptional technical mastery with which Bernini was able to obtain particular effects from marble, not for virtuosity as an end in itself, but to give the portrait a naturalness that makes it seem to the observer that he is really in the presence of the pope. As the scholar Lelio Guidiccioni observed in 1633, the wisely hinted movement of the head and shoulder is enough to give us the impression of being on our knees in front of a speaking portrait of the pontiff, who with a benevolent gesture of blessing beckons us get up.
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Details

Title: Portrait of Urban VIII

Author: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Date: 1632-1633

Technique: Marble

Displayed in: Barberini Palace

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