Bernini at the Borghese Gallery

Map

Apollo and Daphne (c. 1622-25)

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On December 7th, 1598, one of the greatest sculptors of all time was born in Naples. His name was Gian Lorenzo Bernini and in 1606 his father, Pietro Bernini (1562-1629), who was also a sculptor, received an important papal commission and so moved his family from Naples to Rome. 

A plaque in Via Liberiana (n. 24) marks the house in which Bernini lived from 1606 until 1642, and where he carved three of his most beautiful sculptures: The Rape of Proserpine, David, and Apollo and Daphne. All three works, which were commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, are on display in the Galleria Borghese. 

When Bernini eventually married he bought a house in Via della Mercede, where he lived for the rest of his long life, dying on November 28th, 1680, just days before his 82nd birthday. He is interred in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. 

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The Rape of Proserpine (detail)

Apollo and Daphne, c. 1622-25

Apollo and Daphne, detail

David, c. 1623-24

Plaque to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Via Liberiana

Plaque to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Via della Mercede

Tomb, Santa Maria Maggiore