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Gallery Text

This skillfully carved and gilded pedestal illustrates the exuberant style of Pope Urban VIII. The three bees on the prominently displayed coat of arms are those of the Barberini family, and the triple crown and keys of the papacy make it most likely that this was commissioned for a project associated with Urban VIII, who assumed the papal throne in 1623. Gian Lorenzo Bernini executed several portrait busts of the pontiff and he may well have been responsible for the design for this pedestal, although no drawings or records for such a commission survive.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1961.158
People
Unidentified Artist
Possibly School of Francesco Borromini (1599 - 1667)
Possibly attributable to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian (Naples, Italy 1598 - 1680 Rome, Italy)
Title
Pedestal with Cherubs and the Arms of Pope Urban VIII
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
mid-17th century
Culture
Italian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/228054

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2400, European Art, 17th century, Rome and Its Influence in the Seventeenth Century
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Carved and gilt wood
Technique
Carved
Dimensions
106 x 65 x 51.8 cm (41 3/4 x 25 9/16 x 20 3/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Felix Gluckselig, New York, NY, sold; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1961.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Alpheus Hyatt Purchasing Fund
Accession Year
1961
Object Number
1961.158
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture from the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, exh. cat., Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, 1967)

Exhibition History

  • Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture from the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, 10/12/1967 - 12/03/1967
  • In Memoriam: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 08/01/1980 - 10/15/1980
  • 32Q: 2400 French/Italian/Spanish, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu