The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has received a sculpture by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini on permanent loan from a private owner. This is the only sculpture by the renowned sculptor in the Netherlands.
Museum director Taco Dibbits described it as a “historic acquisition.” The sculpture is a terracotta model of the Greek sea god Triton standing on a shell. It was commissioned in 1653 by Pope Innocent X for a fountain in Rome’s Piazza Navona.
Bernini, who lived from 1598 to 1680, is considered a leading figure of the Italian Baroque. Dibbits highlighted that Bernini was a significant influence on 17th-century sculpture and painting in Rome.
His famous works, such as Apollo and Daphne, and The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, are found in Rome. Bernini also designed St. Peter’s Square and the bronze baldachin in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, as well as the Fountain of the Four Rivers at Piazza Navona.
His remarkable art inspired many Dutch artists in the 17th century to travel to Rome. One such artist was Flemish sculptor Artus Quellinus, who worked on the Amsterdam Town Hall, now the Royal Palace on Dam Square, and whose work was inspired by Bernini.
Dibbits expressed pride in displaying Bernini’s work in the Netherlands. Another terracotta version of the Triton sculpture exists at the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas, which is more detailed and believed to have been a gift for the pope.
The Rijksmuseum’s version is a study model. The sculpture was previously exhibited in the museum during the 2020 Caravaggio – Bernini exhibition.
Source: NOS