Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: How does Augustus of Prima Porta explain its Polychromy?

It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally painted, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that historians have had to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence. Vincenz Brinkmann of Munich researched the use of color on ancient sculpture in the 1980s using ultraviolet rays to find traces of color.Today, the Vatican Museums have produced a copy of the statue so as to paint it in the theorized original colors, as confirmed when the statue was cleaned in 1999. However, an art historian of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Fabio Barry, has criticized this reconstitution as unsubtle and exaggerated, while other critics have argued that there are many notable differences between the original Prima Porta of Augustus and the painted recreation.However, due to the ongoing disagreement on the statue's pigmentation there is little information or exploration on the usage of these colors. Another copy was painted with a different color scheme for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.Since at least the 18th century, the familiar sight of Roman sculptures that lack their original paint has encouraged the idea that monochromy is the natural condition for classical sculpture; but surface treatment is now recognized as integral to the overall effect of the sculpture.The writings of second-century polymath Lucian provide a good example of how color functioned for a work of that time, "I Fear I stand in the way of her most important feature!... the rest of the body let Apelles represent.. not too white but diffused with blood." The quote continues to state that a statue of the time is unfinished without its "chora"—skin—or layer, applied to the statue to render it complete. The specific implications of each color chosen for the Prima Porta are unknown; assumedly red for the military and royalty.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In Augustus of Prima Porta, how is the Polychromy discussed?

It is almost certain that the Augustus was originally painted, but so few traces remain today (having been lost in the ground and having faded since discovery) that historians have had to fall back on old watercolors and new scientific investigations for evidence. Vincenz Brinkmann of Munich researched the use of color on ancient sculpture in the 1980s using ultraviolet rays to find traces of color.Today, the Vatican Museums have produced a copy of the statue so as to paint it in the theorized original colors, as confirmed when the statue was cleaned in 1999. However, an art historian of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Fabio Barry, has criticized this reconstitution as unsubtle and exaggerated, while other critics have argued that there are many notable differences between the original Prima Porta of Augustus and the painted recreation.However, due to the ongoing disagreement on the statue's pigmentation there is little information or exploration on the usage of these colors. Another copy was painted with a different color scheme for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.Since at least the 18th century, the familiar sight of Roman sculptures that lack their original paint has encouraged the idea that monochromy is the natural condition for classical sculpture; but surface treatment is now recognized as integral to the overall effect of the sculpture.The writings of second-century polymath Lucian provide a good example of how color functioned for a work of that time, "I Fear I stand in the way of her most important feature!... the rest of the body let Apelles represent.. not too white but diffused with blood." The quote continues to state that a statue of the time is unfinished without its "chora"—skin—or layer, applied to the statue to render it complete. The specific implications of each color chosen for the Prima Porta are unknown; assumedly red for the military and royalty.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In the context of Augustus of Prima Porta, explain the Portrait and the Iconography.

The haircut is made up of divided, thick strands of hair, with a strand directly over the middle of Augustus's forehead framed by other strands over it. From the left two strands stray onto the forehead, and from the right three strands, a hairstyle first found on this statue. This hairstyle also marks this statue out as Augustus from comparison with his portrait on his coinage, which can also give a date to it.  This particular hairstyle is used as the first sign identifying this portrait type of Augustus as the Prima Porta type, the second and most popular of three official portrait types: other hairstyles of Augustus may be seen on the Ara Pacis, for example. Another full-size statue of Augustus with these "Primaporta type" features is the Augustus of Via Labicana, portraying Augustus in the role of Pontifex Maximus, now in the Museo Nazionale Romano.The face is idealized, but not as those of Polykleitos' statues. Augustus's face is not smoothed and shows details to indicate the individual features of Augustus. Art underwent important changes during Augustus's reign, with the extreme realism that dominated the Republican era giving way to Greek influence, as seen in the portraits of the emperors - idealizations summarizing all the virtues that should be possessed by the exceptional man worthy of governing the Empire.  In earlier portraits, Augustus allowed himself to be portrayed in monarchical fashion, but amended these with later more diplomatic images that represented him as  "primus inter pares".  The head and neck were produced separately in Parian marble and inserted to the torso.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Explain the Portrait about the Iconography of this artwork, Augustus of Prima Porta.

The haircut is made up of divided, thick strands of hair, with a strand directly over the middle of Augustus's forehead framed by other strands over it. From the left two strands stray onto the forehead, and from the right three strands, a hairstyle first found on this statue. This hairstyle also marks this statue out as Augustus from comparison with his portrait on his coinage, which can also give a date to it.  This particular hairstyle is used as the first sign identifying this portrait type of Augustus as the Prima Porta type, the second and most popular of three official portrait types: other hairstyles of Augustus may be seen on the Ara Pacis, for example. Another full-size statue of Augustus with these "Primaporta type" features is the Augustus of Via Labicana, portraying Augustus in the role of Pontifex Maximus, now in the Museo Nazionale Romano.The face is idealized, but not as those of Polykleitos' statues. Augustus's face is not smoothed and shows details to indicate the individual features of Augustus. Art underwent important changes during Augustus's reign, with the extreme realism that dominated the Republican era giving way to Greek influence, as seen in the portraits of the emperors - idealizations summarizing all the virtues that should be possessed by the exceptional man worthy of governing the Empire.  In earlier portraits, Augustus allowed himself to be portrayed in monarchical fashion, but amended these with later more diplomatic images that represented him as  "primus inter pares".  The head and neck were produced separately in Parian marble and inserted to the torso.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In Augustus of Prima Porta, how is the Portrait of the Iconography explained?

The haircut is made up of divided, thick strands of hair, with a strand directly over the middle of Augustus's forehead framed by other strands over it. From the left two strands stray onto the forehead, and from the right three strands, a hairstyle first found on this statue. This hairstyle also marks this statue out as Augustus from comparison with his portrait on his coinage, which can also give a date to it.  This particular hairstyle is used as the first sign identifying this portrait type of Augustus as the Prima Porta type, the second and most popular of three official portrait types: other hairstyles of Augustus may be seen on the Ara Pacis, for example. Another full-size statue of Augustus with these "Primaporta type" features is the Augustus of Via Labicana, portraying Augustus in the role of Pontifex Maximus, now in the Museo Nazionale Romano.The face is idealized, but not as those of Polykleitos' statues. Augustus's face is not smoothed and shows details to indicate the individual features of Augustus. Art underwent important changes during Augustus's reign, with the extreme realism that dominated the Republican era giving way to Greek influence, as seen in the portraits of the emperors - idealizations summarizing all the virtues that should be possessed by the exceptional man worthy of governing the Empire.  In earlier portraits, Augustus allowed himself to be portrayed in monarchical fashion, but amended these with later more diplomatic images that represented him as  "primus inter pares".  The head and neck were produced separately in Parian marble and inserted to the torso.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Portrait in Augustus of Prima Porta's Iconography.

The haircut is made up of divided, thick strands of hair, with a strand directly over the middle of Augustus's forehead framed by other strands over it. From the left two strands stray onto the forehead, and from the right three strands, a hairstyle first found on this statue. This hairstyle also marks this statue out as Augustus from comparison with his portrait on his coinage, which can also give a date to it.  This particular hairstyle is used as the first sign identifying this portrait type of Augustus as the Prima Porta type, the second and most popular of three official portrait types: other hairstyles of Augustus may be seen on the Ara Pacis, for example. Another full-size statue of Augustus with these "Primaporta type" features is the Augustus of Via Labicana, portraying Augustus in the role of Pontifex Maximus, now in the Museo Nazionale Romano.The face is idealized, but not as those of Polykleitos' statues. Augustus's face is not smoothed and shows details to indicate the individual features of Augustus. Art underwent important changes during Augustus's reign, with the extreme realism that dominated the Republican era giving way to Greek influence, as seen in the portraits of the emperors - idealizations summarizing all the virtues that should be possessed by the exceptional man worthy of governing the Empire.  In earlier portraits, Augustus allowed himself to be portrayed in monarchical fashion, but amended these with later more diplomatic images that represented him as  "primus inter pares".  The head and neck were produced separately in Parian marble and inserted to the torso.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In the context of Augustus of Prima Porta, explain the Breastplate relief and the Iconography.

The statue's iconography is frequently compared to that of the carmen saeculare by Horace, and commemorates Augustus's establishment of the Pax Romana.  The breastplate is carved in relief with numerous small figures depicting the return, thanks to the diplomacy of Augustus, of the Roman legionary eagles or aquilae lost to Parthia by Mark Antony in the 40s BC and by Crassus in 53 BC.The figure in the centre, according to the most common interpretation, is the subjected Parthian king (Phraates IV) returning Crassus's standard to an armored Roman (possibly Tiberius, or symbolically Mars Ultor or the incarnation of the ideal legionary). Other theory sees in the male figure the ideal incarnation of the Roman legions.  This was a very popular subject in Augustan propaganda, as one of his greatest international successes, and had to be especially strongly emphasized, since Augustus had been deterred by Parthian military strength from the war which the Roman people had expected and had instead opted for diplomacy. Below the armed figure we can see a dog, or probably a wolf or, according to archaeologist Ascanio Modena Altieri, a she-wolf, nurse of Romulus and Remus. To the left and right sit mourning female figures;  the figure on the one side with a sheathed sword personifies the peoples in the East (and possibly the Teutons) forced to pay tribute to Rome, and the one on the other side with an unsheathed sword personifies the subjected peoples (the Celts).  From the top, clockwise, we see:Caelus, the sky god, spreading the tent of the skyAurora and Lunathe personification of the subjected peoplesthe goddess Dianathe earth goddess Ceres/Tellus - similarly represented on the Ara PacisApollo, Augustus's patronthe personification of the tributary peoplesthe sun god Sola Sphinx on each shoulder, representing the defeat of Cleopatra by AugustusInterestingly, the cuirass is not solely frontal; there is a backside to the armor as well. On the bottom right side of the back of the cuirass, there is a helmeted trophy with a wing above, a carnyx on the left hip, and greaves against a tree trunk. There was an iron peg that is thought to have connected the statue to a wall. This is likely due to the back being unfinished None of these interpretations are undisputed.  The gods, however, probably all symbolize the continuity and logical consistency of the events - just as the sun and moon forever rise, so Roman successes are certain and divinely sanctioned.  Furthermore, these successes are connected with the wearer of this breastplate, Augustus.  The only active person is the Parthian king, implying that everything else is divinely desired and ordained.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Explain the Breastplate relief about the Iconography of this artwork, Augustus of Prima Porta.

The statue's iconography is frequently compared to that of the carmen saeculare by Horace, and commemorates Augustus's establishment of the Pax Romana.  The breastplate is carved in relief with numerous small figures depicting the return, thanks to the diplomacy of Augustus, of the Roman legionary eagles or aquilae lost to Parthia by Mark Antony in the 40s BC and by Crassus in 53 BC.The figure in the centre, according to the most common interpretation, is the subjected Parthian king (Phraates IV) returning Crassus's standard to an armored Roman (possibly Tiberius, or symbolically Mars Ultor or the incarnation of the ideal legionary). Other theory sees in the male figure the ideal incarnation of the Roman legions.  This was a very popular subject in Augustan propaganda, as one of his greatest international successes, and had to be especially strongly emphasized, since Augustus had been deterred by Parthian military strength from the war which the Roman people had expected and had instead opted for diplomacy. Below the armed figure we can see a dog, or probably a wolf or, according to archaeologist Ascanio Modena Altieri, a she-wolf, nurse of Romulus and Remus. To the left and right sit mourning female figures;  the figure on the one side with a sheathed sword personifies the peoples in the East (and possibly the Teutons) forced to pay tribute to Rome, and the one on the other side with an unsheathed sword personifies the subjected peoples (the Celts).  From the top, clockwise, we see:Caelus, the sky god, spreading the tent of the skyAurora and Lunathe personification of the subjected peoplesthe goddess Dianathe earth goddess Ceres/Tellus - similarly represented on the Ara PacisApollo, Augustus's patronthe personification of the tributary peoplesthe sun god Sola Sphinx on each shoulder, representing the defeat of Cleopatra by AugustusInterestingly, the cuirass is not solely frontal; there is a backside to the armor as well. On the bottom right side of the back of the cuirass, there is a helmeted trophy with a wing above, a carnyx on the left hip, and greaves against a tree trunk. There was an iron peg that is thought to have connected the statue to a wall. This is likely due to the back being unfinished None of these interpretations are undisputed.  The gods, however, probably all symbolize the continuity and logical consistency of the events - just as the sun and moon forever rise, so Roman successes are certain and divinely sanctioned.  Furthermore, these successes are connected with the wearer of this breastplate, Augustus.  The only active person is the Parthian king, implying that everything else is divinely desired and ordained.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In Augustus of Prima Porta, how is the Breastplate relief of the Iconography explained?

The statue's iconography is frequently compared to that of the carmen saeculare by Horace, and commemorates Augustus's establishment of the Pax Romana.  The breastplate is carved in relief with numerous small figures depicting the return, thanks to the diplomacy of Augustus, of the Roman legionary eagles or aquilae lost to Parthia by Mark Antony in the 40s BC and by Crassus in 53 BC.The figure in the centre, according to the most common interpretation, is the subjected Parthian king (Phraates IV) returning Crassus's standard to an armored Roman (possibly Tiberius, or symbolically Mars Ultor or the incarnation of the ideal legionary). Other theory sees in the male figure the ideal incarnation of the Roman legions.  This was a very popular subject in Augustan propaganda, as one of his greatest international successes, and had to be especially strongly emphasized, since Augustus had been deterred by Parthian military strength from the war which the Roman people had expected and had instead opted for diplomacy. Below the armed figure we can see a dog, or probably a wolf or, according to archaeologist Ascanio Modena Altieri, a she-wolf, nurse of Romulus and Remus. To the left and right sit mourning female figures;  the figure on the one side with a sheathed sword personifies the peoples in the East (and possibly the Teutons) forced to pay tribute to Rome, and the one on the other side with an unsheathed sword personifies the subjected peoples (the Celts).  From the top, clockwise, we see:Caelus, the sky god, spreading the tent of the skyAurora and Lunathe personification of the subjected peoplesthe goddess Dianathe earth goddess Ceres/Tellus - similarly represented on the Ara PacisApollo, Augustus's patronthe personification of the tributary peoplesthe sun god Sola Sphinx on each shoulder, representing the defeat of Cleopatra by AugustusInterestingly, the cuirass is not solely frontal; there is a backside to the armor as well. On the bottom right side of the back of the cuirass, there is a helmeted trophy with a wing above, a carnyx on the left hip, and greaves against a tree trunk. There was an iron peg that is thought to have connected the statue to a wall. This is likely due to the back being unfinished None of these interpretations are undisputed.  The gods, however, probably all symbolize the continuity and logical consistency of the events - just as the sun and moon forever rise, so Roman successes are certain and divinely sanctioned.  Furthermore, these successes are connected with the wearer of this breastplate, Augustus.  The only active person is the Parthian king, implying that everything else is divinely desired and ordained.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Breastplate relief in Augustus of Prima Porta's Iconography.

The statue's iconography is frequently compared to that of the carmen saeculare by Horace, and commemorates Augustus's establishment of the Pax Romana.  The breastplate is carved in relief with numerous small figures depicting the return, thanks to the diplomacy of Augustus, of the Roman legionary eagles or aquilae lost to Parthia by Mark Antony in the 40s BC and by Crassus in 53 BC.The figure in the centre, according to the most common interpretation, is the subjected Parthian king (Phraates IV) returning Crassus's standard to an armored Roman (possibly Tiberius, or symbolically Mars Ultor or the incarnation of the ideal legionary). Other theory sees in the male figure the ideal incarnation of the Roman legions.  This was a very popular subject in Augustan propaganda, as one of his greatest international successes, and had to be especially strongly emphasized, since Augustus had been deterred by Parthian military strength from the war which the Roman people had expected and had instead opted for diplomacy. Below the armed figure we can see a dog, or probably a wolf or, according to archaeologist Ascanio Modena Altieri, a she-wolf, nurse of Romulus and Remus. To the left and right sit mourning female figures;  the figure on the one side with a sheathed sword personifies the peoples in the East (and possibly the Teutons) forced to pay tribute to Rome, and the one on the other side with an unsheathed sword personifies the subjected peoples (the Celts).  From the top, clockwise, we see:Caelus, the sky god, spreading the tent of the skyAurora and Lunathe personification of the subjected peoplesthe goddess Dianathe earth goddess Ceres/Tellus - similarly represented on the Ara PacisApollo, Augustus's patronthe personification of the tributary peoplesthe sun god Sola Sphinx on each shoulder, representing the defeat of Cleopatra by AugustusInterestingly, the cuirass is not solely frontal; there is a backside to the armor as well. On the bottom right side of the back of the cuirass, there is a helmeted trophy with a wing above, a carnyx on the left hip, and greaves against a tree trunk. There was an iron peg that is thought to have connected the statue to a wall. This is likely due to the back being unfinished None of these interpretations are undisputed.  The gods, however, probably all symbolize the continuity and logical consistency of the events - just as the sun and moon forever rise, so Roman successes are certain and divinely sanctioned.  Furthermore, these successes are connected with the wearer of this breastplate, Augustus.  The only active person is the Parthian king, implying that everything else is divinely desired and ordained.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In the context of Augustus of Prima Porta, explain the Divine status and the Iconography.

During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature", his genius.  Augustus is shown barefoot, which indicates that he is a hero and perhaps even a divus, and also adds a civilian aspect to an otherwise military portrait.  Being barefoot was only previously allowed on images of the gods, but it may also imply that the statue is a posthumous copy set up by Livia of a statue from the city of Rome in which Augustus was not barefoot.The small Cupid (son of Venus) at his feet (riding on a dolphin, Venus's patron animal) is a reference to the claim that the Julian family were descended from the goddess Venus, made by both Augustus and by his great uncle Julius Caesar - a way of claiming divine lineage without claiming the full divine status. The dolphin which Cupid rides has a political significance.  It suggests that Augustus has won the battle of Actium and defeated one of his primary rivals, Mark Antony.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Explain the Divine status about the Iconography of this artwork, Augustus of Prima Porta.

During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature", his genius.  Augustus is shown barefoot, which indicates that he is a hero and perhaps even a divus, and also adds a civilian aspect to an otherwise military portrait.  Being barefoot was only previously allowed on images of the gods, but it may also imply that the statue is a posthumous copy set up by Livia of a statue from the city of Rome in which Augustus was not barefoot.The small Cupid (son of Venus) at his feet (riding on a dolphin, Venus's patron animal) is a reference to the claim that the Julian family were descended from the goddess Venus, made by both Augustus and by his great uncle Julius Caesar - a way of claiming divine lineage without claiming the full divine status. The dolphin which Cupid rides has a political significance.  It suggests that Augustus has won the battle of Actium and defeated one of his primary rivals, Mark Antony.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In Augustus of Prima Porta, how is the Divine status of the Iconography explained?

During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature", his genius.  Augustus is shown barefoot, which indicates that he is a hero and perhaps even a divus, and also adds a civilian aspect to an otherwise military portrait.  Being barefoot was only previously allowed on images of the gods, but it may also imply that the statue is a posthumous copy set up by Livia of a statue from the city of Rome in which Augustus was not barefoot.The small Cupid (son of Venus) at his feet (riding on a dolphin, Venus's patron animal) is a reference to the claim that the Julian family were descended from the goddess Venus, made by both Augustus and by his great uncle Julius Caesar - a way of claiming divine lineage without claiming the full divine status. The dolphin which Cupid rides has a political significance.  It suggests that Augustus has won the battle of Actium and defeated one of his primary rivals, Mark Antony.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Describe the characteristics of the Divine status in Augustus of Prima Porta's Iconography.

During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature", his genius.  Augustus is shown barefoot, which indicates that he is a hero and perhaps even a divus, and also adds a civilian aspect to an otherwise military portrait.  Being barefoot was only previously allowed on images of the gods, but it may also imply that the statue is a posthumous copy set up by Livia of a statue from the city of Rome in which Augustus was not barefoot.The small Cupid (son of Venus) at his feet (riding on a dolphin, Venus's patron animal) is a reference to the claim that the Julian family were descended from the goddess Venus, made by both Augustus and by his great uncle Julius Caesar - a way of claiming divine lineage without claiming the full divine status. The dolphin which Cupid rides has a political significance.  It suggests that Augustus has won the battle of Actium and defeated one of his primary rivals, Mark Antony.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Focus on Augustus of Prima Porta and explain the Type.

The Prima Porta-type of statues of Augustus, of which Augustus of Prima Porta is the most famous example, became the prevailing representational style for him. This type was introduced around 27 BC to visually express the title Augustus and was copied full-length and in busts in various versions throughout the empire up until his death in AD 14.  The copies never showed Augustus looking older, however, but represented him as forever young, in line with the aims of his propaganda, i.e. to display the authority of the Roman emperors through conventional styles and stories of the culture. At its best, in Roland R. R. Smith's view, this "type achieves a sort [of] visual paradox that might be described as mature, ageless, and authoritative youthfulness".

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Explain the Type of this artwork, Augustus of Prima Porta.

The Prima Porta-type of statues of Augustus, of which Augustus of Prima Porta is the most famous example, became the prevailing representational style for him. This type was introduced around 27 BC to visually express the title Augustus and was copied full-length and in busts in various versions throughout the empire up until his death in AD 14.  The copies never showed Augustus looking older, however, but represented him as forever young, in line with the aims of his propaganda, i.e. to display the authority of the Roman emperors through conventional styles and stories of the culture. At its best, in Roland R. R. Smith's view, this "type achieves a sort [of] visual paradox that might be described as mature, ageless, and authoritative youthfulness".

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: How does Augustus of Prima Porta explain its Type?

The Prima Porta-type of statues of Augustus, of which Augustus of Prima Porta is the most famous example, became the prevailing representational style for him. This type was introduced around 27 BC to visually express the title Augustus and was copied full-length and in busts in various versions throughout the empire up until his death in AD 14.  The copies never showed Augustus looking older, however, but represented him as forever young, in line with the aims of his propaganda, i.e. to display the authority of the Roman emperors through conventional styles and stories of the culture. At its best, in Roland R. R. Smith's view, this "type achieves a sort [of] visual paradox that might be described as mature, ageless, and authoritative youthfulness".

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In Augustus of Prima Porta, how is the Type discussed?

The Prima Porta-type of statues of Augustus, of which Augustus of Prima Porta is the most famous example, became the prevailing representational style for him. This type was introduced around 27 BC to visually express the title Augustus and was copied full-length and in busts in various versions throughout the empire up until his death in AD 14.  The copies never showed Augustus looking older, however, but represented him as forever young, in line with the aims of his propaganda, i.e. to display the authority of the Roman emperors through conventional styles and stories of the culture. At its best, in Roland R. R. Smith's view, this "type achieves a sort [of] visual paradox that might be described as mature, ageless, and authoritative youthfulness".

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Focus on Augustus of Prima Porta and explain the Discovery.

The statue of Augustus of Prima Porta was discovered within the Villa of Livia in 1863, however little is known about the discovery itself and its immediate aftermath, as the incomplete archaeological journals leave ambiguous evidence for modern historians. The statue was first publicized by the German archeologist Wilhelm Henzen in 1863 the Bulletino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archaeologica. The exact location of the statue within the villa is unknown. Suggested sites are the underground complex, a placement near a staircase, the villa's atrium, or in a laurel grove on the south-east corner of Prima Porta hill.  Scholars have stated that the last one is relatively unconvincing compared with the first three. The theory that Augustus's statue was found in the underground complex of the villa is based on a hypothesis that Augustus holds a laurel branch instead of a spear in his left hand. Scholars have noted that if this hypothesis is correct, then Villa of Livia must have been decorated with laurel groves and that the reason of the decoration is the omen of the gallina alba.Recent excavations have discovered the remnants of pots used to plant laurel on the edge of the Prima Porta hill in front of the underground complex, which Reeder believes suggests the possibility of the existence of laurel groves in the villa and makes it likely that the statue was located in the underground complex. She rationalized this by stating that per Suetonius, Augustus had a fear of lightning and often hid in 'an underground vaulted room', which she theorizes was likely the underground complex, particularly as during the time of Augustus laurels were thought to provide protection from lightning.Scholars who disagree with the theory have argued that although the pot remnants could have been used to plant laurel, such pots were also used for other plants such as lemons. They also state that according to an 1891 drawing made 25 years after the first excavation, Prima Porta Augustus was found at the bottom of the staircase leading to the underground complex, not the complex itself. Alan Klynne and Peter Liljenstolpe have further noted that the statue could have been brought to the basement from another location such as the atrium, where it would have stood on a rectangular structure that stands right on the axis against the south wall of the atrium. As visitors would enter the atrium from the fauces at the northeastern corner, the statue would be the first thing that they would see and that they would view it from the left, which fits Kähler's idea that it should be seen from this position.  When the visitor walked across the atrium their eyes would meet with Augustus's right hand, thus "receiving" the address that Augustus made.The story of gallina alba narrates that after Livia married Octavian an eagle dropped a hen with a laurel branch onto Livia's lap, which the religious authorities of Rome took as a sign of blessing and divinity. The plant was ordered to be planted with great religious care at what is now known as the villa surbana, where it grew into a grove. According to Jane Clark Reeder, when Julio-Claudians experienced military success they would take a laurel branch from the villa.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: Explain the Discovery of this artwork, Augustus of Prima Porta.

The statue of Augustus of Prima Porta was discovered within the Villa of Livia in 1863, however little is known about the discovery itself and its immediate aftermath, as the incomplete archaeological journals leave ambiguous evidence for modern historians. The statue was first publicized by the German archeologist Wilhelm Henzen in 1863 the Bulletino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archaeologica. The exact location of the statue within the villa is unknown. Suggested sites are the underground complex, a placement near a staircase, the villa's atrium, or in a laurel grove on the south-east corner of Prima Porta hill.  Scholars have stated that the last one is relatively unconvincing compared with the first three. The theory that Augustus's statue was found in the underground complex of the villa is based on a hypothesis that Augustus holds a laurel branch instead of a spear in his left hand. Scholars have noted that if this hypothesis is correct, then Villa of Livia must have been decorated with laurel groves and that the reason of the decoration is the omen of the gallina alba.Recent excavations have discovered the remnants of pots used to plant laurel on the edge of the Prima Porta hill in front of the underground complex, which Reeder believes suggests the possibility of the existence of laurel groves in the villa and makes it likely that the statue was located in the underground complex. She rationalized this by stating that per Suetonius, Augustus had a fear of lightning and often hid in 'an underground vaulted room', which she theorizes was likely the underground complex, particularly as during the time of Augustus laurels were thought to provide protection from lightning.Scholars who disagree with the theory have argued that although the pot remnants could have been used to plant laurel, such pots were also used for other plants such as lemons. They also state that according to an 1891 drawing made 25 years after the first excavation, Prima Porta Augustus was found at the bottom of the staircase leading to the underground complex, not the complex itself. Alan Klynne and Peter Liljenstolpe have further noted that the statue could have been brought to the basement from another location such as the atrium, where it would have stood on a rectangular structure that stands right on the axis against the south wall of the atrium. As visitors would enter the atrium from the fauces at the northeastern corner, the statue would be the first thing that they would see and that they would view it from the left, which fits Kähler's idea that it should be seen from this position.  When the visitor walked across the atrium their eyes would meet with Augustus's right hand, thus "receiving" the address that Augustus made.The story of gallina alba narrates that after Livia married Octavian an eagle dropped a hen with a laurel branch onto Livia's lap, which the religious authorities of Rome took as a sign of blessing and divinity. The plant was ordered to be planted with great religious care at what is now known as the villa surbana, where it grew into a grove. According to Jane Clark Reeder, when Julio-Claudians experienced military success they would take a laurel branch from the villa.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: How does Augustus of Prima Porta explain its Discovery?

The statue of Augustus of Prima Porta was discovered within the Villa of Livia in 1863, however little is known about the discovery itself and its immediate aftermath, as the incomplete archaeological journals leave ambiguous evidence for modern historians. The statue was first publicized by the German archeologist Wilhelm Henzen in 1863 the Bulletino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archaeologica. The exact location of the statue within the villa is unknown. Suggested sites are the underground complex, a placement near a staircase, the villa's atrium, or in a laurel grove on the south-east corner of Prima Porta hill.  Scholars have stated that the last one is relatively unconvincing compared with the first three. The theory that Augustus's statue was found in the underground complex of the villa is based on a hypothesis that Augustus holds a laurel branch instead of a spear in his left hand. Scholars have noted that if this hypothesis is correct, then Villa of Livia must have been decorated with laurel groves and that the reason of the decoration is the omen of the gallina alba.Recent excavations have discovered the remnants of pots used to plant laurel on the edge of the Prima Porta hill in front of the underground complex, which Reeder believes suggests the possibility of the existence of laurel groves in the villa and makes it likely that the statue was located in the underground complex. She rationalized this by stating that per Suetonius, Augustus had a fear of lightning and often hid in 'an underground vaulted room', which she theorizes was likely the underground complex, particularly as during the time of Augustus laurels were thought to provide protection from lightning.Scholars who disagree with the theory have argued that although the pot remnants could have been used to plant laurel, such pots were also used for other plants such as lemons. They also state that according to an 1891 drawing made 25 years after the first excavation, Prima Porta Augustus was found at the bottom of the staircase leading to the underground complex, not the complex itself. Alan Klynne and Peter Liljenstolpe have further noted that the statue could have been brought to the basement from another location such as the atrium, where it would have stood on a rectangular structure that stands right on the axis against the south wall of the atrium. As visitors would enter the atrium from the fauces at the northeastern corner, the statue would be the first thing that they would see and that they would view it from the left, which fits Kähler's idea that it should be seen from this position.  When the visitor walked across the atrium their eyes would meet with Augustus's right hand, thus "receiving" the address that Augustus made.The story of gallina alba narrates that after Livia married Octavian an eagle dropped a hen with a laurel branch onto Livia's lap, which the religious authorities of Rome took as a sign of blessing and divinity. The plant was ordered to be planted with great religious care at what is now known as the villa surbana, where it grew into a grove. According to Jane Clark Reeder, when Julio-Claudians experienced military success they would take a laurel branch from the villa.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Augustus of Prima Porta

Prompt: In Augustus of Prima Porta, how is the Discovery discussed?

The statue of Augustus of Prima Porta was discovered within the Villa of Livia in 1863, however little is known about the discovery itself and its immediate aftermath, as the incomplete archaeological journals leave ambiguous evidence for modern historians. The statue was first publicized by the German archeologist Wilhelm Henzen in 1863 the Bulletino dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archaeologica. The exact location of the statue within the villa is unknown. Suggested sites are the underground complex, a placement near a staircase, the villa's atrium, or in a laurel grove on the south-east corner of Prima Porta hill.  Scholars have stated that the last one is relatively unconvincing compared with the first three. The theory that Augustus's statue was found in the underground complex of the villa is based on a hypothesis that Augustus holds a laurel branch instead of a spear in his left hand. Scholars have noted that if this hypothesis is correct, then Villa of Livia must have been decorated with laurel groves and that the reason of the decoration is the omen of the gallina alba.Recent excavations have discovered the remnants of pots used to plant laurel on the edge of the Prima Porta hill in front of the underground complex, which Reeder believes suggests the possibility of the existence of laurel groves in the villa and makes it likely that the statue was located in the underground complex. She rationalized this by stating that per Suetonius, Augustus had a fear of lightning and often hid in 'an underground vaulted room', which she theorizes was likely the underground complex, particularly as during the time of Augustus laurels were thought to provide protection from lightning.Scholars who disagree with the theory have argued that although the pot remnants could have been used to plant laurel, such pots were also used for other plants such as lemons. They also state that according to an 1891 drawing made 25 years after the first excavation, Prima Porta Augustus was found at the bottom of the staircase leading to the underground complex, not the complex itself. Alan Klynne and Peter Liljenstolpe have further noted that the statue could have been brought to the basement from another location such as the atrium, where it would have stood on a rectangular structure that stands right on the axis against the south wall of the atrium. As visitors would enter the atrium from the fauces at the northeastern corner, the statue would be the first thing that they would see and that they would view it from the left, which fits Kähler's idea that it should be seen from this position.  When the visitor walked across the atrium their eyes would meet with Augustus's right hand, thus "receiving" the address that Augustus made.The story of gallina alba narrates that after Livia married Octavian an eagle dropped a hen with a laurel branch onto Livia's lap, which the religious authorities of Rome took as a sign of blessing and divinity. The plant was ordered to be planted with great religious care at what is now known as the villa surbana, where it grew into a grove. According to Jane Clark Reeder, when Julio-Claudians experienced military success they would take a laurel branch from the villa.

Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy

File:Augusto di pirma porta, inv. 2290, 02.JPG

Modern painted replica of the statue in Braga, Portugal

Painted replica of Augustus of Prima Porta statue prepared for the Tarraco Viva 2014 Festival.

Category:Augustus in ancient Roman sculpture

Category:Sculptures in the Vatican Museums


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Focus on Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and explain the abstract.

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (also known as Saint Teresa in Ecstasy; Italian: L'Estasi di Santa Teresa or Santa Teresa in estasi) is a sculptural altarpiece group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.  It was designed and carved by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading sculptor of his day, who also designed the setting of the chapel in marble, stucco and paint. The commission was completed in 1652.The ensemble includes at the sides two sets of donor portraits of members of the Cornaro family, who watch the main central group as though in boxes in a theatre.  The group is generally considered to be one of the sculptural masterpieces of the High Roman Baroque. The sculpture over the altar shows Saint Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun (1515–1582), swooning in a state of religious ecstasy, while an angel holding a spear stands over her, following her own account of a vision she had.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (also known as Saint Teresa in Ecstasy; Italian: L'Estasi di Santa Teresa or Santa Teresa in estasi) is a sculptural altarpiece group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.  It was designed and carved by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading sculptor of his day, who also designed the setting of the chapel in marble, stucco and paint. The commission was completed in 1652.The ensemble includes at the sides two sets of donor portraits of members of the Cornaro family, who watch the main central group as though in boxes in a theatre.  The group is generally considered to be one of the sculptural masterpieces of the High Roman Baroque. The sculpture over the altar shows Saint Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun (1515–1582), swooning in a state of religious ecstasy, while an angel holding a spear stands over her, following her own account of a vision she had.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: How does Ecstasy of Saint Teresa explain its abstract?

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (also known as Saint Teresa in Ecstasy; Italian: L'Estasi di Santa Teresa or Santa Teresa in estasi) is a sculptural altarpiece group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.  It was designed and carved by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading sculptor of his day, who also designed the setting of the chapel in marble, stucco and paint. The commission was completed in 1652.The ensemble includes at the sides two sets of donor portraits of members of the Cornaro family, who watch the main central group as though in boxes in a theatre.  The group is generally considered to be one of the sculptural masterpieces of the High Roman Baroque. The sculpture over the altar shows Saint Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun (1515–1582), swooning in a state of religious ecstasy, while an angel holding a spear stands over her, following her own account of a vision she had.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, how is the abstract discussed?

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (also known as Saint Teresa in Ecstasy; Italian: L'Estasi di Santa Teresa or Santa Teresa in estasi) is a sculptural altarpiece group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.  It was designed and carved by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the leading sculptor of his day, who also designed the setting of the chapel in marble, stucco and paint. The commission was completed in 1652.The ensemble includes at the sides two sets of donor portraits of members of the Cornaro family, who watch the main central group as though in boxes in a theatre.  The group is generally considered to be one of the sculptural masterpieces of the High Roman Baroque. The sculpture over the altar shows Saint Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun (1515–1582), swooning in a state of religious ecstasy, while an angel holding a spear stands over her, following her own account of a vision she had.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Focus on Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and explain the Commission.

The entire ensemble was overseen and completed by a mature Bernini during the Pamphili papacy of Innocent X. When Innocent acceded to the papal throne, he shunned Bernini's artistic services; the sculptor had been the favourite artist of the previous and profligate Barberini pope, Urban VIII. Without papal patronage, the services of Bernini's studio were therefore available to a patron such as the Venetian Cardinal Federico Cornaro (1579–1653).Cornaro had chosen the hitherto unremarkable church of the Discalced Carmelites for his burial chapel. The selected site for the chapel was the left transept that had previously held an image of 'St. Paul in Ecstasy', which was replaced by Bernini's dramatization of a religious experience undergone and related by the first Discalced Carmelite saint, who had been canonised not long before, in 1622. It was completed in 1652 for the then princely sum of 12,000 scudi.A small format terracotta model of about 47 cm (19 in) was created between 1644 and 1647. The sculpture represents the first embodiment of the project, with traces of Bernini's fingerprints still visible. The model belongs to the Hermitage Museum's collection.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Explain the Commission of this artwork, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

The entire ensemble was overseen and completed by a mature Bernini during the Pamphili papacy of Innocent X. When Innocent acceded to the papal throne, he shunned Bernini's artistic services; the sculptor had been the favourite artist of the previous and profligate Barberini pope, Urban VIII. Without papal patronage, the services of Bernini's studio were therefore available to a patron such as the Venetian Cardinal Federico Cornaro (1579–1653).Cornaro had chosen the hitherto unremarkable church of the Discalced Carmelites for his burial chapel. The selected site for the chapel was the left transept that had previously held an image of 'St. Paul in Ecstasy', which was replaced by Bernini's dramatization of a religious experience undergone and related by the first Discalced Carmelite saint, who had been canonised not long before, in 1622. It was completed in 1652 for the then princely sum of 12,000 scudi.A small format terracotta model of about 47 cm (19 in) was created between 1644 and 1647. The sculpture represents the first embodiment of the project, with traces of Bernini's fingerprints still visible. The model belongs to the Hermitage Museum's collection.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: How does Ecstasy of Saint Teresa explain its Commission?

The entire ensemble was overseen and completed by a mature Bernini during the Pamphili papacy of Innocent X. When Innocent acceded to the papal throne, he shunned Bernini's artistic services; the sculptor had been the favourite artist of the previous and profligate Barberini pope, Urban VIII. Without papal patronage, the services of Bernini's studio were therefore available to a patron such as the Venetian Cardinal Federico Cornaro (1579–1653).Cornaro had chosen the hitherto unremarkable church of the Discalced Carmelites for his burial chapel. The selected site for the chapel was the left transept that had previously held an image of 'St. Paul in Ecstasy', which was replaced by Bernini's dramatization of a religious experience undergone and related by the first Discalced Carmelite saint, who had been canonised not long before, in 1622. It was completed in 1652 for the then princely sum of 12,000 scudi.A small format terracotta model of about 47 cm (19 in) was created between 1644 and 1647. The sculpture represents the first embodiment of the project, with traces of Bernini's fingerprints still visible. The model belongs to the Hermitage Museum's collection.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, how is the Commission discussed?

The entire ensemble was overseen and completed by a mature Bernini during the Pamphili papacy of Innocent X. When Innocent acceded to the papal throne, he shunned Bernini's artistic services; the sculptor had been the favourite artist of the previous and profligate Barberini pope, Urban VIII. Without papal patronage, the services of Bernini's studio were therefore available to a patron such as the Venetian Cardinal Federico Cornaro (1579–1653).Cornaro had chosen the hitherto unremarkable church of the Discalced Carmelites for his burial chapel. The selected site for the chapel was the left transept that had previously held an image of 'St. Paul in Ecstasy', which was replaced by Bernini's dramatization of a religious experience undergone and related by the first Discalced Carmelite saint, who had been canonised not long before, in 1622. It was completed in 1652 for the then princely sum of 12,000 scudi.A small format terracotta model of about 47 cm (19 in) was created between 1644 and 1647. The sculpture represents the first embodiment of the project, with traces of Bernini's fingerprints still visible. The model belongs to the Hermitage Museum's collection.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Focus on Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and explain the Sculptural group and its setting.

The two central sculptural figures of the swooning nun and the angel with the spear derive from an episode described by Teresa of Avila, a mystical cloistered Discalced Carmelite reformer and nun, in her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus. Her experience of religious ecstasy in her encounter with the angel is described as follows:I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.The group is illuminated by natural light which filters through a hidden window in the dome of the surrounding aedicule, and underscored by gilded stucco rays. Teresa is shown lying on a cloud indicating that this is intended to be a divine apparition we are witnessing. Other witnesses appear on the side walls; life-size high-relief donor portraits of male members of the Cornaro family, e.g. Cardinal Federico Cornaro and Doge Giovanni I Cornaro, are present and shown discussing the event in boxes as if at the theatre. Although the figures are executed in white marble, the aedicule, wall panels and theatre boxes are made from coloured marbles. Above, the vault of the Chapel is frescoed with an illusionistic cherub-filled sky with the descending light of the Holy Ghost allegorized as a dove.The art historian Rudolf Wittkower wrote:In spite of the pictorial character of the design as a whole, Bernini differentiated between various degrees of reality, the members of the Cornaro Chapel seem to be alive like ourselves. They belong to our space and our world. The supernatural event of Teresa's vision is raised to a sphere of its own, removed from that of the beholder mainly by virtue of the isolating canopy and the heavenly light.Gallery

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Explain the Sculptural group and its setting of this artwork, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

The two central sculptural figures of the swooning nun and the angel with the spear derive from an episode described by Teresa of Avila, a mystical cloistered Discalced Carmelite reformer and nun, in her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus. Her experience of religious ecstasy in her encounter with the angel is described as follows:I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.The group is illuminated by natural light which filters through a hidden window in the dome of the surrounding aedicule, and underscored by gilded stucco rays. Teresa is shown lying on a cloud indicating that this is intended to be a divine apparition we are witnessing. Other witnesses appear on the side walls; life-size high-relief donor portraits of male members of the Cornaro family, e.g. Cardinal Federico Cornaro and Doge Giovanni I Cornaro, are present and shown discussing the event in boxes as if at the theatre. Although the figures are executed in white marble, the aedicule, wall panels and theatre boxes are made from coloured marbles. Above, the vault of the Chapel is frescoed with an illusionistic cherub-filled sky with the descending light of the Holy Ghost allegorized as a dove.The art historian Rudolf Wittkower wrote:In spite of the pictorial character of the design as a whole, Bernini differentiated between various degrees of reality, the members of the Cornaro Chapel seem to be alive like ourselves. They belong to our space and our world. The supernatural event of Teresa's vision is raised to a sphere of its own, removed from that of the beholder mainly by virtue of the isolating canopy and the heavenly light.Gallery

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: How does Ecstasy of Saint Teresa explain its Sculptural group and its setting?

The two central sculptural figures of the swooning nun and the angel with the spear derive from an episode described by Teresa of Avila, a mystical cloistered Discalced Carmelite reformer and nun, in her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus. Her experience of religious ecstasy in her encounter with the angel is described as follows:I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.The group is illuminated by natural light which filters through a hidden window in the dome of the surrounding aedicule, and underscored by gilded stucco rays. Teresa is shown lying on a cloud indicating that this is intended to be a divine apparition we are witnessing. Other witnesses appear on the side walls; life-size high-relief donor portraits of male members of the Cornaro family, e.g. Cardinal Federico Cornaro and Doge Giovanni I Cornaro, are present and shown discussing the event in boxes as if at the theatre. Although the figures are executed in white marble, the aedicule, wall panels and theatre boxes are made from coloured marbles. Above, the vault of the Chapel is frescoed with an illusionistic cherub-filled sky with the descending light of the Holy Ghost allegorized as a dove.The art historian Rudolf Wittkower wrote:In spite of the pictorial character of the design as a whole, Bernini differentiated between various degrees of reality, the members of the Cornaro Chapel seem to be alive like ourselves. They belong to our space and our world. The supernatural event of Teresa's vision is raised to a sphere of its own, removed from that of the beholder mainly by virtue of the isolating canopy and the heavenly light.Gallery

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, how is the Sculptural group and its setting discussed?

The two central sculptural figures of the swooning nun and the angel with the spear derive from an episode described by Teresa of Avila, a mystical cloistered Discalced Carmelite reformer and nun, in her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus. Her experience of religious ecstasy in her encounter with the angel is described as follows:I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.The group is illuminated by natural light which filters through a hidden window in the dome of the surrounding aedicule, and underscored by gilded stucco rays. Teresa is shown lying on a cloud indicating that this is intended to be a divine apparition we are witnessing. Other witnesses appear on the side walls; life-size high-relief donor portraits of male members of the Cornaro family, e.g. Cardinal Federico Cornaro and Doge Giovanni I Cornaro, are present and shown discussing the event in boxes as if at the theatre. Although the figures are executed in white marble, the aedicule, wall panels and theatre boxes are made from coloured marbles. Above, the vault of the Chapel is frescoed with an illusionistic cherub-filled sky with the descending light of the Holy Ghost allegorized as a dove.The art historian Rudolf Wittkower wrote:In spite of the pictorial character of the design as a whole, Bernini differentiated between various degrees of reality, the members of the Cornaro Chapel seem to be alive like ourselves. They belong to our space and our world. The supernatural event of Teresa's vision is raised to a sphere of its own, removed from that of the beholder mainly by virtue of the isolating canopy and the heavenly light.Gallery

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Focus on Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and explain the Interpretations.

The effects are theatrical, the Cornaro family seeming to observe the scene from their boxes, and the chapel illustrates a moment where divinity intrudes on an earthly body. Caroline Babcock speaks of Bernini's melding of sensual and spiritual pleasure as both intentional and influential on artists and writers of the day. Irving Lavin said "the transverberation becomes a point of contact between earth and heaven, between matter and spirit". As Bernini biographer Franco Mormando points out, although Bernini's point of departure for his depiction of Teresa's mystical experience was her own description, there were many details about the experience that she never specifies (e.g., the position of her body) and that Bernini simply supplied from his own artistic imagination, all with an aim of increasing the nearly transgressively sensual charge of the episode: "Certainly no other artist, in rendering the scene, before or after Bernini, dared as much in transforming the saint's appearance."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Explain the Interpretations of this artwork, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

The effects are theatrical, the Cornaro family seeming to observe the scene from their boxes, and the chapel illustrates a moment where divinity intrudes on an earthly body. Caroline Babcock speaks of Bernini's melding of sensual and spiritual pleasure as both intentional and influential on artists and writers of the day. Irving Lavin said "the transverberation becomes a point of contact between earth and heaven, between matter and spirit". As Bernini biographer Franco Mormando points out, although Bernini's point of departure for his depiction of Teresa's mystical experience was her own description, there were many details about the experience that she never specifies (e.g., the position of her body) and that Bernini simply supplied from his own artistic imagination, all with an aim of increasing the nearly transgressively sensual charge of the episode: "Certainly no other artist, in rendering the scene, before or after Bernini, dared as much in transforming the saint's appearance."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: How does Ecstasy of Saint Teresa explain its Interpretations?

The effects are theatrical, the Cornaro family seeming to observe the scene from their boxes, and the chapel illustrates a moment where divinity intrudes on an earthly body. Caroline Babcock speaks of Bernini's melding of sensual and spiritual pleasure as both intentional and influential on artists and writers of the day. Irving Lavin said "the transverberation becomes a point of contact between earth and heaven, between matter and spirit". As Bernini biographer Franco Mormando points out, although Bernini's point of departure for his depiction of Teresa's mystical experience was her own description, there were many details about the experience that she never specifies (e.g., the position of her body) and that Bernini simply supplied from his own artistic imagination, all with an aim of increasing the nearly transgressively sensual charge of the episode: "Certainly no other artist, in rendering the scene, before or after Bernini, dared as much in transforming the saint's appearance."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, how is the Interpretations discussed?

The effects are theatrical, the Cornaro family seeming to observe the scene from their boxes, and the chapel illustrates a moment where divinity intrudes on an earthly body. Caroline Babcock speaks of Bernini's melding of sensual and spiritual pleasure as both intentional and influential on artists and writers of the day. Irving Lavin said "the transverberation becomes a point of contact between earth and heaven, between matter and spirit". As Bernini biographer Franco Mormando points out, although Bernini's point of departure for his depiction of Teresa's mystical experience was her own description, there were many details about the experience that she never specifies (e.g., the position of her body) and that Bernini simply supplied from his own artistic imagination, all with an aim of increasing the nearly transgressively sensual charge of the episode: "Certainly no other artist, in rendering the scene, before or after Bernini, dared as much in transforming the saint's appearance."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Focus on Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and explain the Criticism.

The sexual implications of the work have not gone unnoticed. It is considered "decidely risqué"; "the most astounding peep show in art"; and "the grossest and most offensive example of Baroque art." The reason for its popularity "has a lot to do with sex." And by placing the sculpture in a theatrical setting, Bernini is accused of turning "a private moment into a very publicspectacle." Victorian art critic Anna Jameson wanted it destroyed: "even those least prudish in matters of art, would here willingly throw the first stone."Scholars who defend it against such criticism take one of three approaches, saying:Bernini faithfully followed Teresa’s description of the experience.The Church accepted that mystical union often involved erotic elements.There is no nudity in the statue.But Franco Mormando says "none of these defenses are completely accurate." Simon Schama agrees: "Critics and scholars tie themselves in knots, trying to avoid stating the obvious."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Explain the Criticism of this artwork, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

The sexual implications of the work have not gone unnoticed. It is considered "decidely risqué"; "the most astounding peep show in art"; and "the grossest and most offensive example of Baroque art." The reason for its popularity "has a lot to do with sex." And by placing the sculpture in a theatrical setting, Bernini is accused of turning "a private moment into a very publicspectacle." Victorian art critic Anna Jameson wanted it destroyed: "even those least prudish in matters of art, would here willingly throw the first stone."Scholars who defend it against such criticism take one of three approaches, saying:Bernini faithfully followed Teresa’s description of the experience.The Church accepted that mystical union often involved erotic elements.There is no nudity in the statue.But Franco Mormando says "none of these defenses are completely accurate." Simon Schama agrees: "Critics and scholars tie themselves in knots, trying to avoid stating the obvious."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: How does Ecstasy of Saint Teresa explain its Criticism?

The sexual implications of the work have not gone unnoticed. It is considered "decidely risqué"; "the most astounding peep show in art"; and "the grossest and most offensive example of Baroque art." The reason for its popularity "has a lot to do with sex." And by placing the sculpture in a theatrical setting, Bernini is accused of turning "a private moment into a very publicspectacle." Victorian art critic Anna Jameson wanted it destroyed: "even those least prudish in matters of art, would here willingly throw the first stone."Scholars who defend it against such criticism take one of three approaches, saying:Bernini faithfully followed Teresa’s description of the experience.The Church accepted that mystical union often involved erotic elements.There is no nudity in the statue.But Franco Mormando says "none of these defenses are completely accurate." Simon Schama agrees: "Critics and scholars tie themselves in knots, trying to avoid stating the obvious."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, how is the Criticism discussed?

The sexual implications of the work have not gone unnoticed. It is considered "decidely risqué"; "the most astounding peep show in art"; and "the grossest and most offensive example of Baroque art." The reason for its popularity "has a lot to do with sex." And by placing the sculpture in a theatrical setting, Bernini is accused of turning "a private moment into a very publicspectacle." Victorian art critic Anna Jameson wanted it destroyed: "even those least prudish in matters of art, would here willingly throw the first stone."Scholars who defend it against such criticism take one of three approaches, saying:Bernini faithfully followed Teresa’s description of the experience.The Church accepted that mystical union often involved erotic elements.There is no nudity in the statue.But Franco Mormando says "none of these defenses are completely accurate." Simon Schama agrees: "Critics and scholars tie themselves in knots, trying to avoid stating the obvious."

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Focus on Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and explain the Similar works by Bernini.

See also entry titled Bernini's Cornaro chapel found in the Baroque section.Death of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni (1671–1674)—San Francesco a Ripa, Rome.Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence (1614–15)Truth Unveiled by Time (1646–1652) – Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Explain the Similar works by Bernini of this artwork, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

See also entry titled Bernini's Cornaro chapel found in the Baroque section.Death of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni (1671–1674)—San Francesco a Ripa, Rome.Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence (1614–15)Truth Unveiled by Time (1646–1652) – Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: How does Ecstasy of Saint Teresa explain its Similar works by Bernini?

See also entry titled Bernini's Cornaro chapel found in the Baroque section.Death of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni (1671–1674)—San Francesco a Ripa, Rome.Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence (1614–15)Truth Unveiled by Time (1646–1652) – Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, how is the Similar works by Bernini discussed?

See also entry titled Bernini's Cornaro chapel found in the Baroque section.Death of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni (1671–1674)—San Francesco a Ripa, Rome.Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence (1614–15)Truth Unveiled by Time (1646–1652) – Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Focus on Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and explain the Influencing or influenced works.

Stefano Maderno's sculpture of St Cecilia in namesake church (1600).Melchiorre Caffà's Santa Rose of Lima (1665) and his Assumption of St Catherine.Francisco Aprile and Ercole Ferrata's Sant'Anastasia in her namesake church in Rome.The most internationally successful Czech underground group the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa named themselves after the sculpture.Angels & Demons, the novel by Dan Brown which lists the sculpture as the third "Altar of Science" of the fictionalized Illuminati. Brown's book incorrectly states that the sculpture was moved from the Vatican to its current location, and that Pope Urban VIII (who was already deceased when Bernini worked on the sculpture) found the statue too sexually explicit.The sculpture is the subject of the song "The Lie" from Peter Hammill's album The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage.In Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, the sculpture plays a role in the filmography of James O. Incandenza, Jr. Wallace also alludes to it in three additional scenes involving Joelle.Street artist Banksy used the image of Saint Teresa in one of his works, though he removed the angelic figure and added a fast food meal.The sculpture and its image are frequently referred to in the novel Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.In the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, the statue plays an important role due to a central reference in his book Seminar XX: Encore. Lacan believes the statue helps convey his theory of the possibility of a female enjoyment that is infinite and unknowable, while masculine enjoyment is defined by finitude and failure. Some book covers of Seminar XX have a picture of the statue on the front.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: Explain the Influencing or influenced works of this artwork, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

Stefano Maderno's sculpture of St Cecilia in namesake church (1600).Melchiorre Caffà's Santa Rose of Lima (1665) and his Assumption of St Catherine.Francisco Aprile and Ercole Ferrata's Sant'Anastasia in her namesake church in Rome.The most internationally successful Czech underground group the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa named themselves after the sculpture.Angels & Demons, the novel by Dan Brown which lists the sculpture as the third "Altar of Science" of the fictionalized Illuminati. Brown's book incorrectly states that the sculpture was moved from the Vatican to its current location, and that Pope Urban VIII (who was already deceased when Bernini worked on the sculpture) found the statue too sexually explicit.The sculpture is the subject of the song "The Lie" from Peter Hammill's album The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage.In Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, the sculpture plays a role in the filmography of James O. Incandenza, Jr. Wallace also alludes to it in three additional scenes involving Joelle.Street artist Banksy used the image of Saint Teresa in one of his works, though he removed the angelic figure and added a fast food meal.The sculpture and its image are frequently referred to in the novel Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.In the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, the statue plays an important role due to a central reference in his book Seminar XX: Encore. Lacan believes the statue helps convey his theory of the possibility of a female enjoyment that is infinite and unknowable, while masculine enjoyment is defined by finitude and failure. Some book covers of Seminar XX have a picture of the statue on the front.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: How does Ecstasy of Saint Teresa explain its Influencing or influenced works?

Stefano Maderno's sculpture of St Cecilia in namesake church (1600).Melchiorre Caffà's Santa Rose of Lima (1665) and his Assumption of St Catherine.Francisco Aprile and Ercole Ferrata's Sant'Anastasia in her namesake church in Rome.The most internationally successful Czech underground group the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa named themselves after the sculpture.Angels & Demons, the novel by Dan Brown which lists the sculpture as the third "Altar of Science" of the fictionalized Illuminati. Brown's book incorrectly states that the sculpture was moved from the Vatican to its current location, and that Pope Urban VIII (who was already deceased when Bernini worked on the sculpture) found the statue too sexually explicit.The sculpture is the subject of the song "The Lie" from Peter Hammill's album The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage.In Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, the sculpture plays a role in the filmography of James O. Incandenza, Jr. Wallace also alludes to it in three additional scenes involving Joelle.Street artist Banksy used the image of Saint Teresa in one of his works, though he removed the angelic figure and added a fast food meal.The sculpture and its image are frequently referred to in the novel Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.In the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, the statue plays an important role due to a central reference in his book Seminar XX: Encore. Lacan believes the statue helps convey his theory of the possibility of a female enjoyment that is infinite and unknowable, while masculine enjoyment is defined by finitude and failure. Some book covers of Seminar XX have a picture of the statue on the front.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Prompt: In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, how is the Influencing or influenced works discussed?

Stefano Maderno's sculpture of St Cecilia in namesake church (1600).Melchiorre Caffà's Santa Rose of Lima (1665) and his Assumption of St Catherine.Francisco Aprile and Ercole Ferrata's Sant'Anastasia in her namesake church in Rome.The most internationally successful Czech underground group the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa named themselves after the sculpture.Angels & Demons, the novel by Dan Brown which lists the sculpture as the third "Altar of Science" of the fictionalized Illuminati. Brown's book incorrectly states that the sculpture was moved from the Vatican to its current location, and that Pope Urban VIII (who was already deceased when Bernini worked on the sculpture) found the statue too sexually explicit.The sculpture is the subject of the song "The Lie" from Peter Hammill's album The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage.In Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, the sculpture plays a role in the filmography of James O. Incandenza, Jr. Wallace also alludes to it in three additional scenes involving Joelle.Street artist Banksy used the image of Saint Teresa in one of his works, though he removed the angelic figure and added a fast food meal.The sculpture and its image are frequently referred to in the novel Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.In the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, the statue plays an important role due to a central reference in his book Seminar XX: Encore. Lacan believes the statue helps convey his theory of the possibility of a female enjoyment that is infinite and unknowable, while masculine enjoyment is defined by finitude and failure. Some book covers of Seminar XX have a picture of the statue on the front.

Wider view, including the Cornaro portraits, but omitting the lower parts of the chapel.

File:Cornaro chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome HDR.jpg

Category:Sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini


Prompt: Focus on A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte and explain the abstract.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (French: Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte) was painted from 1884 to 1886 and is Georges Seurat's most famous work. A leading example of pointillist technique, executed on a large canvas, it is a founding work of the neo-impressionist movement. Seurat's composition includes a number of Parisians at a park on the banks of the River Seine. It is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

On display at the Art Institute of Chicago in the white frame as Seurat intended

Category:Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago

File:Northwest portion of La Grande Jatte.jpg

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection

Georges Seurat, ''Study for "A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte"'', 1884, oil on canvas, 70.5 x 104.1 cm, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art

The left bank of working class ''[[Bathers at Asnières


Prompt: Explain the abstract of this artwork, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (French: Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte) was painted from 1884 to 1886 and is Georges Seurat's most famous work. A leading example of pointillist technique, executed on a large canvas, it is a founding work of the neo-impressionist movement. Seurat's composition includes a number of Parisians at a park on the banks of the River Seine. It is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

On display at the Art Institute of Chicago in the white frame as Seurat intended

Category:Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago

File:Northwest portion of La Grande Jatte.jpg

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection

Georges Seurat, ''Study for "A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte"'', 1884, oil on canvas, 70.5 x 104.1 cm, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art

The left bank of working class ''[[Bathers at Asnières


Prompt: How does A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte explain its abstract?

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (French: Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte) was painted from 1884 to 1886 and is Georges Seurat's most famous work. A leading example of pointillist technique, executed on a large canvas, it is a founding work of the neo-impressionist movement. Seurat's composition includes a number of Parisians at a park on the banks of the River Seine. It is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

On display at the Art Institute of Chicago in the white frame as Seurat intended

Category:Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago

File:Northwest portion of La Grande Jatte.jpg

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection

Georges Seurat, ''Study for "A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte"'', 1884, oil on canvas, 70.5 x 104.1 cm, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art

The left bank of working class ''[[Bathers at Asnières


Prompt: In A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, how is the abstract discussed?

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (French: Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte) was painted from 1884 to 1886 and is Georges Seurat's most famous work. A leading example of pointillist technique, executed on a large canvas, it is a founding work of the neo-impressionist movement. Seurat's composition includes a number of Parisians at a park on the banks of the River Seine. It is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

On display at the Art Institute of Chicago in the white frame as Seurat intended

Category:Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago

File:Northwest portion of La Grande Jatte.jpg

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection

Georges Seurat, ''Study for "A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte"'', 1884, oil on canvas, 70.5 x 104.1 cm, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art

The left bank of working class ''[[Bathers at Asnières