Bust of Cardinal Scipione Borghese
2023 © Maxim Tabachnik
Pauline Bonaparte as Venus VictrixThe Rape of ProserpinaAdoration of the ChildDavidApollo and DaphneThe Council of the GodsSaint Jerome WritingAeneas, Anchises, and AscaniusThe EntombmentYoung Sick BacchusDavid with the Head of GoliathApollo and Daphne with The Apotheosis of RomulusMadonna and Child with St AnneRoman Civilization and the Heroic Virtue of HonorBoy with a Basket of FruitSacred and Profane LoveMax Amid Roman EchoesThe Apotheosis of RomulusTruth Unveiled by TimeBust of Cardinal Scipione BorgheseYoung Woman with a UnicornHistoric Gardens of Villa BorgheseAtlantes and DeitiesMax aming Berninis and CaravaggiosPope Paul V BorghesePope Paul VMax Contemplates Bernini’s Pluto and ProserpinaVenus Blindfolding CupidFireplace

Bust of Cardinal Scipione BorgheseGian Lorenzo Bernini

1197
This vivid portrait (1632) captures a moment of speech, the cardinal's parted lips and quickened gaze suggesting sudden animation. Carved in Carrara marble, it was the second version sculpted after the first cracked. Completed in just 15 days, it testifies to Bernini’s genius and the cardinal’s role as his most important patron.