Pietro Bernini (6 May 1562 – 29 August 1629) was an Italian

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. He was the father of one of the most famous artists of Baroque,

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

, as well as the sculptor-architect

Luigi Bernini Luigi Bernini (1612, Rome - 22 December 1681, Rome) was an Italian engineer, architect and sculptor. Life The son of Pietro Bernini Pietro Bernini (6 May 1562 – 29 August 1629) was an Italian sculptor. He was the father of one of the most ...

Biography

Bernini was born in Sesto Fiorentino,

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

. He moved to

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

to work on the

Certosa di San Martino The ("Charterhouse of St. Martin") is a former monastery complex, now a museum, in Naples, southern Italy. Along with Castel Sant'Elmo that stands beside it, this is the most visible landmark of the city, perched atop the Vomero hill that command ...

there, and Gian Lorenzo was born in Naples in 1598. In 1605 the family moved to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

under the protection of Cardinal

Scipione Borghese Scipione Borghese (; 1 September 1577 – 2 October 1633) was an Italian Cardinal, art collector and patron of the arts. A member of the Borghese family, he was the patron of the painter Caravaggio and the artist Bernini. His legacy is the estab ...

. In Rome he worked on various projects for

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

, another Borghese, including the Pauline Chapel in the Basilica of

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

. One of Pietro Bernini's best known contributions to the city of Rome is the

Fontana della Barcaccia The Fontana della Barcaccia (; "Fountain of the Boat") is a Baroque-style fountain found at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome's Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square). Pope Urban VIII commissioned Pietro Bernini in 1623 to build the fountain as p ...

(''Fountain of the Old Boat'') which resembles a beached ship and is located at the foot of the

Spanish Steps The Spanish Steps ( it, Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) in Rome, Italy, climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. The monumental stairwa ...

. It was commissioned by

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

and built in 1627. He also contributed to the

Fountain of Neptune, Naples The Fountain of Neptune ( it, Fontana del Nettuno) is a monumental fountain, located in Municipio square, in Naples, Italy. The fountain until the end of 2014 was located across the street of via Medina across from the church of Santa Maria Incor ...

, completed between 1600 and 1601. Initially collaborating with his son (for example on ''

Boy with a Dragon ''Boy with a Dragon'' is a white marble sculpture, now in the Getty Museum, which has owned it since 1987. It draws on the myth of the infant Hercules strangling serpents sent to kill him. It was carved by Pietro Bernini and his son Gian Loren ...

'' in 1617) but later overshadowed by his talent, the elder Bernini ended his career as an independent sculptor around 1617, evidently happy to act as his son's assistant.

Franco Mormando Franco Mormando (born 17 August 1955) is a historian, university professor, and author, focusing on the art, literature, and religious culture of Italy from the late Medieval period to the Baroque. His principal publications have been on fifte ...

, ''Bernini: His Life and His Rome'', 2011, pages 9-11 He died in Rome, aged 67.

Gallery

File:Barcaccia.JPG,

File:Cappella paolina o borghese, monum di paolo V del ponzio con cariatidi di pietro bernini 02.JPG,

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

Image:Napoli s Martino Pietro Bernini Carità di s Martino 1050007.JPG, ''Saint Martin Dividing his Cloak'',

File:Flora Bernini.JPG, ''Flora'' by Pietro Bernini, 1616

References

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1562 births 1629 deaths People from Sesto Fiorentino 16th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors 17th-century Italian sculptors {{Italy-sculptor-stub