The Angel with Crown of Thorns by Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Case Study Example

Download file to see previous pages Through its huge size and magnificent form, it became a grand architectural element together with the rest of the ten Angels of Passion in Ponte Sant’Angelo. A grand sentry looking over the people as they traverse the bridge to and from the Castle.

The sculpture depicts an angel represented as a young man with a crown of curly hair. His wings are quite huge and are partially spread out as if about to take flight. He is wearing a somewhat diaphanous material draped over his body exposing a good portion of his shoulders and his right leg.
He is holding a crown of thorns and his arms are placed sideways towards the left side of his body at the level of his chest. The angel’s right leg is exposed up to mid-thigh and is bent on the knee as if in a walking motion. His left foot, on the other hand, is also exposed. His feet are parted slightly apart with an indistinguishable object of swirls in between his feet and beside his left feet.

The Ponte Sant’Angelo, also known as the Bridge of Angels, in Rome was decorated with ten marble sculptures of angels, or the Angels of Passion, as proposed by Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.1 He was commissioned by Pope Clement IX to create two out of the ten angel sculptures and the rest of the angel sculptures are believed to be made by Bernini’s students. The ten marble sculptures are to replace the 14 stucco sculptures of angels set up by Rafaella da Montelupo under Pope Paul III.2
The ten marble sculptures of angels each hold a symbol of the Passion of the Christ. The ten angel sculptures are the “Angel with the Column” by Antonio Raggi, “Angel with the Whips” by Lazzaro Morelli, “Angel with the Crown of Thorns” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, “Angel with the Sudarium or Veronica’s Veil” by Cosimo Fancelli, “Angel with the Garment and Dice” by Paolo Naldini, “Angel with the Nail” by Girolamo Lucenti, “Angel with the Cross” by Ercole Ferrata, “Angel with the Superscription I.N.R.I.” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, “Angel with the Sponge” by Antonio Giorgetti, and the “Angel with the Lance” by Domenico Guidi. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More