A once-overlooked terracotta figure sculpted by Bernini in 1653 has been acquired by Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Boasting a characteristic swath of dramatic details, Triton is the only sculpture by the Italian Baroque artist on view in the Netherlands.
Triton by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
In the mid-17th century, Pope Innocent X commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini—Rome’s premiere Baroque sculptor—to redecorate two of the fountains in the city’s famous Piazza Navona. Bernini began by sculpting a large terracotta study of Triton, the Greek god of the sea. In true Baroque fashion, Bernini’s Triton wrestles with a scaly sea creature whose mouth was designed to spurt out water. Triton’s muscular body dramatically twists in place, and a gust of wind catches his hair, further escalating the urgency of the tussle.
Using this terracotta study as a guide, Bernini’s assistant, Giovanni Antonio Mari, rendered the final version of the figure in marble for one of the fountains, which came to be known as Fontana del Moro, or the Fountain of the Moor. This is because, at the time, Romans perceived the central Triton figure as African.
“A Truly Historic Addition to the Collection!”
This particular Bernini sculpture went unnoticed for centuries, having long disappeared into an Italian family’s private art collection. The family descended from Cardinal Flavio Chigi, who, as Pope Alexander VII’s representative, would have had personal contact with Bernini. At some point, a thick layer of dark paint was applied to Triton, obscuring the artist’s characteristic attention to detail on the sculpture’s surface.
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Triton eventually reemerged and went on view at the Rijksmuseum’s 2020 exhibition Caravaggio–Bernini, ahead of which the overpainting was removed. Now, the Bernini sculpture is on permanent loan to the museum. “This is a truly historic addition to the collection!” said Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum, in a statement, “It is marvelous that, thanks to a private collector, we can now place a sculpture by Bernini on permanent display in the Netherlands for the first time.”
Why Are Bernini Sculptures So Important?
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) was the most important sculptor of the Italian Baroque era. His work—including the much-discussed masterpieces The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and David—laid the foundation for the Baroque style of sculpture, which champions curving lines, dramatic movement, emotional expressivity, and attention to light and shadow.
Bernini mastered every sculptural genre, from dynamic portraits to epic mythological scenes. Remarkably, he also excelled as an architect and urban planner. He was commissioned to design fountains, public spaces, and buildings, many of which integrated ornate sculptural elements. Among these are St. Peter’s Baldachin in Vatican City and the Fountain of Four Rivers in Rome. Today, Bernini’s sculptures continue to captivate contemporary viewers with their convincing physicality and intense emotional presence.
