St Peter

Finelli entered Bernini's workshop while Pietro Bernini was still alive. He broke with Bernini when he felt he was being passed over in favour of Bolgi who was given a major assignment for the statue of St Helene for St Peter's. Finelli reacted by branching out on his own. He eventually left Rome for Naples in 1634 and enjoyed many productive years there, creating a notable series of saints for the cathedral church of San Gennaro.

His St Peter gives some idea of what a statue for the crossing of St Peter's might have looked like: there is something of Bernini's manner here, though the work is more subdued in characterization. What is most striking about the St Peter is its concentration on technical proficiency, something which ultimately distracts the spectator from the nominal subject. This preference for the particular rather than the whole prevented Finelli from being a great statuary artist, although it enabled him to evolve a striking flair for portraiture.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 21 minutes): Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Missa Brevis (Tu es Petrus)