Bust of Scipione Borghese, 1632

• Quarter-length bust of cardinal Scipione Borghese, Pope Paul V’s nephew, passionate art collector, and head of cultural policy at the papal court. Here, Bernini renders the cardinal lifelike and caught in a transient moment of expression; both qualities synonymous with the Baroque aesthetic.
• Character of the sitter

  larger than life, authoritative, animated.
• Pose/gesture


  lively character – turned away from the front, bust format suggests status of noble prototypes from Antiquity
• Relationship to spectator


  element of spectator engagement – described ‘in conversation’ (Wittkower: Chapter 2:8)
• Commemorative


  The bust is commemorative of the cardinal’s status as nephew of Pope Paul V
• Attributes


  Birretta - A square cap with 3 flat projections on top worn by Roman Catholic clergymen.

  Mozzetta - Short cape with a hood worn by cardinals and the Pope.
• Composition


  drawing from the influences of Mannerist artists, Bernini created swirling, dynamic compositions in his sculptures that were meant to be viewed from all directions, inviting the viewer to be a part of the scene. The bust format of this work is limiting however.
• Texture and light


  Scipione Borghese was a large man and Bernini has polished the bust highly to convey a film of sweat, very believable of a big man under cardinal’s robes in Rome. His cape also conveys a sheen indicative of silk thread or velvet. The work is highly naturalistic and Bernini was renowned for bestowing his characters with individualised features. There is a bravura handling of marble which imparts a sense of spontaneity in keeping with the act of speaking – there’s even a sense of interrupted speech here.
• Function


  Created at the behest of his constant patron Scipione Borghese to commemorate his status. Intended for display in the cardinal’s Villa Borghese, Rome. The Borghese Collection was acquired by the Italian State in 1902.
• Sense of body mass: button slipping through hole
• The cloth folds in the mozzetta (a short elbow length cape worn by Catholic clergy); a biretta (a square cap with three flat projections on top, worn by Roman Catholic clergymen)
• Sparkle in the eyes as cut deeply at contours of iris (keyhole shape pupil to catch the light for twinkle). Bernini used a hand-drill for the cardinal’s irises to animate their expression. This technique of cutting deeply into the contours of the iris (creating a keyhole effect to catch the light) provided a twinkle in the eyes. This detail makes Scipione look more alert as a result.
• Parted lips as if ‘in conversation’ (Wittkower).
• Ways it has been interpreted by past/present societies 


  "[Bernini is] a rare man, sublime artificer, born by Divine Disposition for the glory of Rome to illuminate the century" - Pope Urban VIII
• "A masterpiece of sculpture that combines the beauty of nature with the gracefulness of antiquity." - Goethe
• Fellow Englishman and influential critic, John Ruskin, described Bernini's works as devoid of religious feeling and coarsely sensual. Of the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, he said it was "impossible for false taste and base feeling to sink lower."
• Contemporary art historian Michael Hill describes the Bust of Scipione Borghese as: "…a work that pulses with a life denied to its medium"