The Tomb of Countess Matilda of Tuscany is a large sculptural memorial designed by the Italian artist Gianlorenzo Bernini and executed by Bernini and various other sculptors.
History
The sculpture was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII from Bernini in 1633 and was destined for St. Peter's, Rome, where it still sits now. The final parts were completed in 1644. The sculpture commemorates Matilda of Canossa as a defender of the church throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Matilda had been buried but Pope Urban negotiated for her remains to be transported to Rome. It is speculated that this was to celebrate Pope Urban's roots in Tuscany as well as Matilda's support for the pope.
Harvard Museums have a bronze statuette which was cast from Bernini's clay model for this sculpture. This statue most have been intended as a model and possibly as a present for the pope as it is well finished. On the back of the statue are Bernini's tool marks which indicate that the design was always intended to be in a niche at Saint Peters.
See also
- List of works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Notes
References
- Wittkower, Rudolf (1997). Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Sculptor of the Roman Baroque (4th ed.). London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 9780714837154.
Further reading
- Baldinucci, Filippo (2006) [1682]. The Life of Bernini. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 9780271730769.
- Bernini, Domenico (2011) [1713]. The Life of Giano Lorenzo Bernini. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 9780271037486.
- Mormando, Franco (2011). Bernini: His Life and His Rome. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226538525.
External links
- Media related to Monument to Matilda of Tuscany by Gian Lorenzo Bernini at Wikimedia Commons
