Design for the tomb monument of a military officer
Design for the tomb monument of a military officer

Currently not on view

Design for the tomb monument of a military officer,

early 1670s

Workshop of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1598–1680; born Naples, Italy; died Rome, Italy
2016-85

This drawing by a member of Bernini’s large workshop records one of his unexecuted projects: an elaborate design for a wall tomb representing the deceased as a young man dressed as an ancient Roman military officer kneeling in prayer above a simple sarcophagus. He is flanked by the seated allegorical figures of Justice (on the left) and Charity (on the right) shown with two children. Above the effigy hovers a pair of trumpeting putti, signifying Fame and holding a helmet and shield. In its composition, the drawing relates closely to a series of Bernini designs for papal tombs from the 1650s and 1660s. Although the identity of the deceased is unknown, one possible candidate is Tommaso Rospigliosi (1642–1669), beloved nephew of Bernini’s patron Pope Clement IX, and who held several honorary military offices before his premature death from malaria.

Information

Title
Design for the tomb monument of a military officer
Dates

early 1670s

Maker
Workshop of Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Medium
Pen and brown ink with brush and gray wash
Dimensions
30 × 21 cm (11 13/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, gift of Charles Scribner III, Class of 1973 and Graduate School Class of 1977, in honor of Professor Irving Lavin
Object Number
2016-85
Inscription
Inscribed in brown ink, lower left on mount: Cav. Lorenzo Bernini
Culture
Italian
Type
design drawings, drawings
Materials
laid paper, ink, wash
Subject
officers (military officers), deaths, sarcophagi, tombs, monuments, figures (representations), grief

Pierre Peyron (1744-1814)i; Augusto Calabi, Milan, Italy (dates); his son Lorenzo (d. January 2016) and daughter-in-law Sonja (nee Shubert) Calabi (d. 2015), Newton, Massachusetts; given by Sonja Calabi to Franco Mormando, Boston, Massachusetts; purchased by the Museum from the owner with funds provided by Charles Scribner III.

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