In the final post in this series, we are rounding up the last of our picks of highlights of the incredible Galleria Borghese in Rome. This excellent gallery is home to works by the likes of Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and Rubens but has a particularly exceptional group of works by Baroque sculptor and architect Bernini.
If you are a Bernini fan, the gallery truly is a must-see. Just find a vacation rental in Rome and drop by the Galleria Borghese to learn more about the great genius manipulator of marble that was Bernini.
7. The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun, Bernini, 1609-1615
This work is actually the earliest known work by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and was produced sometime between 1609 and 1615. It depicts the mythological figure of Amalthea as a goat, the infant god Jupiter, and an infant Faun.
If you are a Bernini fan, the gallery truly is a must-see. Just find a vacation rental in Rome and drop by the Galleria Borghese to learn more about the great genius manipulator of marble that was Bernini.
7. The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun, Bernini, 1609-1615
This work is actually the earliest known work by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and was produced sometime between 1609 and 1615. It depicts the mythological figure of Amalthea as a goat, the infant god Jupiter, and an infant Faun.
A child prodigy and son of a sculptor, Bernini was known before he came to Rome for the fact that, as an eight-year-old, he produced a "small marble head of a child that was the marvel of everyone".
As a teen, he made numerous images of putti, chubby male children usually nude and sometimes winged, and these figures follow on from this trend. A rather “cute” piece, it is an incredible work to witness, particularly in connection to his great masterpieces in the gallery, as his progression as an artist is clearly visible.
8. Self-portrait as a young man, Bernini, c. 1623
A self-portrait painted when the artist was about twenty-five years old, it was produced around the same time that he sculpted his David and the incredible Apollo and Daphne.
As a teen, he made numerous images of putti, chubby male children usually nude and sometimes winged, and these figures follow on from this trend. A rather “cute” piece, it is an incredible work to witness, particularly in connection to his great masterpieces in the gallery, as his progression as an artist is clearly visible.
8. Self-portrait as a young man, Bernini, c. 1623
A self-portrait painted when the artist was about twenty-five years old, it was produced around the same time that he sculpted his David and the incredible Apollo and Daphne.
Vivid, alive, rich and beautiful, it is a lively and lovely portrait and a rare example of a painted work by the artist. Bernini has depicted himself as full-lipped, keen-eyed and in a state of tension, as if ready to pounce and jump into action. Perhaps because it is a self-portrait, it is less rigid and formal than other portraits of the time and gives insight into his character; or, certainly, the character he wished for us to perceive. As a rare painted work alone, it is a must-see but as a portrait it is also something that stands out.
If you are an art-lover visiting Rome, the Galleria Borghese is, well and truly, something that needs to be on your itinerary.
If you are an art-lover visiting Rome, the Galleria Borghese is, well and truly, something that needs to be on your itinerary.
Photo credits
picture 1: Peter80 / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: Peter80 / CC BY-SA 3.0