BERNINI, Gian Lorenzo
(b. 1598, Napoli, d. 1680, Roma)

Bust of Monsignor Pedro de Foix Montoya

c. 1621
Marble, life-size
Santa Maria di Monserrato, Rome

In his early career, Bernini often turned to portraiture to supplement his income. The portrait of Monsignor Pedro de Foix Montoya was done from life. When Cardinal Maffeo Barberini famously said that it was more lifelike than Montoya himself, he meant that the sculptor had employed the tilt of the head, the incipient smile, the half-length torso and the motif of the sash hanging over the edge of the cartouche to suggest the whole person beyond the niche. This sense of presence is further enhanced by an astonishing grasp of facial anatomy, coupled with a flair for nuances which encompasses even the bristles of Montoya's moustache.