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The historic gallery of portraits and paintings (v. 2)
The historic gallery of portraits and paintings - v. 2 Author:Unknown Author Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Italy.] BERNINI. " The forehead of your majesty may be seen hy the whole world." He paid likewise a very happy compliment to the queen, who commending the por... more »trait he had just executed of the prince, he added, " Your majesty is pleased with the portrait, because you admire the original." On his return to Rome he hastened to execute an equestrian statue of Curtius in marble, which is now placed at Versailles, and dedicated it to Louis XIV. as a mark of his gratitude. Clement IX. proved no less a zealous protector of Bernini than his predecessors, and employed him to decorate the bridge of St. Angelo. His last work was a demi-colossal figure of Christ, which he bequeathed to the Queen Christina of Sweden. He died in 1680, leaving behind him, as it is said, property to the amount of two millions of livres, (80,0001.) The manners of Bernini were austere, and his character rough and impetuous; but, among the chef-d'ceuvres of Rome, were reckoned the works of this great master. The principal are, the equestrian statue of Constantine, the choir of St. Peter, the group of Apollo and Daphne in the Villa Pinciana, and the church of St.Andrew at Rome, which was constructed after his designs. Bernini was only fourteen years of age, when he was by accident in the church of St. Peter, at the moment when Annibal Carac- ci, with other painters, were noticing a situation where the principal altar ought to be placed. " Trust me," said Caracci, " the day will come when a superior genius shall rear under the cupola, and in the body of the church, two monuments proportionate to the grandeur of this temple." Upon which young Bernini exclaimed, " Heaven grant it were myself:" and his wish was accomplished. His bust of Louis, in which the character of that greatprince is no less ably pourtray...« less