Name of Object: Aeneas and Anchises
Holding Museum: Borghese Gallery
Date of Object: 1618–1619
Artist(s) / Craftsperson(s): Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598, Naples-1680, Rome)
Museum Inventory Number: CLXXXII
Material(s) / Technique(s): Marble
Dimensions: H: 222 cm
Provenance: Borghese Collection
Type of object: Sculpture
Description: This is the first work that a young Bernini completed for Scipione Borghese, who already owned a Barocci painting of the same theme. The subject, taken from Virgils Aeneid, was potent for the Cardinal because it confirmed a dynastic celebration, Aeneas being considered an ancestor of the Borghese family, while simultaneously representing the birth of Rome. Aeneas, fleeing Troy with his father Anchises and his son Ascanius, arrived in Lazio and founded the eternal city. As a result, this subject acquired by analogy an historical and theological value: Ancient Rome and the Roman Church. The flight of Aeneas was also related to the Christian idea of pietas romana, while the figure of the hero symbolised the political role assumed by Scipione during the papacy of his aging uncle (in Latin, scipio, the staff that bears, as Aeneas supports Anchises). The sculpture retains the compactness of the block shape on a vertical axis into which the contrasting movement of the figures is woven, taken from the previous late-Mannerist period in Tuscany. On account of its transitional style, it has long been assumed to be the joint work of Pietro Bernini, the famous sculptor of Pope Paul V, and his young son. However, recently discovered documents unequivocally ascribe the work to Gian Lorenzo. The definition of the muscles and the plasticity of the shapes demonstrate Berninis awareness of Hellenistic art, as well as Raffaello and the Carraccis. The sculptor is undertaking a study of ancient art, integrating it into the new language of art, with its psychology and drama, which would later be known as the Baroque. Bernini paid attention to the tactile quality of the marble, finishing the surface with different tools. This allowed him to create contrasts between finishes, achieving the illusion of colour and assimilating the sculpture to a painting.
View Short Description The artist pays attention to the tactile quality of the marble surface to obtain the illusion of colour. Aeneas's escape from Troy had an historical-theological meaning: the concept of imperium is moved to the Roman Church. The theme symbolises the pietas romana and Scipione's political role.
Original Owner: Cardinal Scipione Borghese
Current Owner: Italian State
How Object was obtained: The Borghese Collection was acquired by the Italian State in 1902.
Selected bibliography: Faldi, I., Galleria Borghese. Le sculture dal secolo XVI al secolo XIX, Rome, 1954, n.32, pp. 26–29. Wittkower, R., Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Sculptor of the Roman Baroque, London, 1955 (edition Italiana Milano, 1990, cat. 8, p. 233). Preimesberger, R., “Enea e Anchise”, in Bernini Scultore, La nascita del Barocco in Casa Borghese, exhibition catalogue, Rome, 1998, pp. 110–123. Ulivi, M., Sorrentino, M. A., Chilosi, M. G., Rockwell, P., “Enea e Anchise”, in Bernini scultore e la tecnica esecutiva, Rome, 2002, pp. 116–131.
Additional Copyright Information: Copyright image: Archivio fotografico Soprintendenza Speciale PSAE e Polo Museale della Città di Roma.
Citation of this web page: Sofia Barchiesi, Maria Assunta SorrentinoAeneas and Anchises in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers,2021 http://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php? id=object;BAR;it;Mus11;3;en
Prepared by: ,Translation by: ,Translation copyedited by: Sofia Barchiesi,Maria Assunta Sorrentino,Laurence Nunny,Mandi Gomez
MWNF Working Number: IT1 05