An Extremely Rare Bronze Bernini for Pope Urban VIII

Published on 12 April 2024, by Nicolas Denis

Auction on 17 April 2024 - 11:00 (CEST) - Salle 1-7 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009

The embodiment of loyalty to the papacy, Matilda of Canossa was revered by Urban VIII over five centuries after her death. The pope commissioned a statue of the countess from the great Baroque sculptor after having her remains transferred to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Countess Matilda of Canossa (c. 1046-1115), bronze... An Extremely Rare Bronze Bernini for Pope Urban VIII

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Countess Matilda of Canossa (c. 1046-1115), bronze statuette with a black patina, c. 1640, h. 40 cm/15.74 in. Estimate: €30,000/40,000

This statuette is outstanding on more than one count. First, the sculptor is Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). Second, the model is Countess Matilda of Canossa. More about her later. Lastly, “In the 17th century it was extremely unusual for a terracotta model, a working sketch for a large-scale statue, to be cast in bronze ," says expert Alexandre Lacroix. “Better yet, "these bronzes take us into the privacy of a workshop from this period, and show us a stage in what today would be called…

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