Triton

Today we present something special from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  :)

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), the undisputed master of Italian Baroque sculpture, reshaped Rome with his powerful, theatrical art. From Apollo and Daphne to The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, Bernini’s works seem to breathe with life. He wasn’t just a sculptor, but an architect and designer of monumental landmarks like St. Peter’s Square and the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi.

On view now at the Rijksmuseum is a rare terracotta model of Triton, created by Bernini in 1653. A Triton with an expressive facial expression, gripping a wide-mouthed fish in his hands and between his legs, while standing on a "floating" conch shell. This is Bernini’s own model for the central figure in his Fontana del Moro on Piazza Navona in Rome. The sculpture exudes great dynamism through the torsion of the muscular body and its forward-stepping movement. Sailing on his enormous shell in the imagined direction of the grand Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi at the center of the piazza, he is propelled by an imaginary wind that sweeps back the sea creature’s flowing hair and beard. The large struggling fish (dolphin) clutched by the Triton suggests a tremendous exertion of strength, which in the completed fountain is further emphasized by the water spouting from the animal’s mouth.

This model remained hidden for centuries in the private collection of a Roman noble family, darkened by overpainting that obscured its quality. Only in 2018, after careful restoration, was Bernini’s hand revealed again—his “modello fatto da me” (“model made by myself”) as listed in his 1655 invoice.

P.S. Did you know that the mentioned Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi was a subject of gossips regarding Bernini's feud with a fellow artist and architect Francesco Borromini? Read more about this Baroque drama!