Borghese Gallery Masterpieces Tour

Many of Bernini’s early works include sculptures with mythological themes, like this impressive piece from 1625. The sculpture was chiseled in traditional Baroque style – bombastic, dynamic and full of movement and flow. Bernini masterfully captured the exact moment in which Daphne began her transformation into a laurel tree; we can see roots stretching from the tips of her toes while branches and leaves sprout from her fingertips. The dramatic metamorphosis was the only way for the beautiful nymph to escape the relentless courtship of the god Apollo, who is pictured just catching up to her after a long chase.

The David from 1624 is one of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s earliest works, yet also one of his most esteemed. His renowned sculpture of the biblical hero differs significantly from earlier renderings. Compared to Donatello and Michelangelo’s portrayal of the same figure, Bernini’s interpretation is much more dynamic and expressive. It was the first time that David had been depicted at the very moment of slaying Goliath; placing great emphasis on action, which is so typical of art works from the Baroque era. The contortion of the body and the perfectly rendered tension of the muscles are testimonies to Bernini's incredible virtuosity.

The David from 1624 is one of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s earliest works, yet also one of his most esteemed. His renowned sculpture of the biblical hero differs significantly from earlier renderings. Compared to Donatello and Michelangelo’s portrayal of the same figure, Bernini’s interpretation is much more dynamic and expressive. It was the first time that David had been depicted at the very moment of slaying Goliath; placing great emphasis on action, which is so typical of art works from the Baroque era. The contortion of the body and the perfectly rendered tension of the muscles are testimonies to Bernini's incredible virtuosity.

This 1808 marble portrait of Pauline Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon’s favorite sister, is considered to perfectly embody the essence of neoclassical style. The young woman was married to Roman prince Camillo Borghese, who commissioned the sculptor Antonio Canova to celebrate the beauty of his wife. Pauline was notorious for her promiscuous lifestyle, so it came as no surprise to Canova when she demanded him to portray her as a semi-nude Venus, the goddess of beauty and love. The flashy rendering of the princess’ lush figure was perceived as a shocking scandal by both her husband and the people of Rome.

An earlier completion by Caravaggio, the oil on canvas has various explanations. It is commonly believed the masterpiece painting with its light and shade effects, is the symbolisation of Vanity, in the looks of the handsome young boy, naked shoulder, languid stare and wavy clothes. In contrast to the present youth and daring appearance, the fruits held in the basket move slowly left to right from raw to ripe and, finally rot away; the signs of how Vanity is deciduous and temporary when compared to the progress of Nature.

Caravaggio boldly revolutionized the art of painting and his 1607 interpretation of David and Goliath is a great example of how he strayed from contemporary conventions. Most artists before him had portrayed David as triumphant, but in Caravaggio's interpretation we see a pensive young man gazing down at Goliath's head with an expression that hints at feelings of pity and sorrow. The two figures are rumored to represent an eerie double portrait of the artist himself; the younger Caravaggio holds the head of his elder self, symbolizing how the young and wreckless artist would inevitably ruin his life later on.

In his early self-portraits, Caravaggio often portrayed himself as Bacchus, the God of Wine – an unsubtle nod to his own unquenchable love of the alcoholic grape juice. This 1594 painting is the most celebrated of his Bacchus interpretations, perfectly uniting sensuous idealism with new naturalism. Notice the exquisitely textured peaches in the foreground – situated so near to the edge of the table that they seem liable to roll off; doesn’t it make you want reach into the frame to grab them? This stylistic trick was often used by Caravaggio to enhance the onlooker’s sense of being enclosed in an embrace of the work.

In 1507, a Perugian noblewoman commissioned the up-and-coming artist Raphael to paint a dramatic depiction of Christ’s burial, in memory of her murdered son. The young artisan initially struggled with the prestigious task and sketched numerous drafts before actually commencing the hefty six foot by five foot painting. Luckily, all of his preparatory efforts paid off; the end result was a spectacular color-saturated and flawlessly executed rendering of the ever-touching scene. It was the first time anyone had represented the mourning of Christ in such a dynamic and expressive way, earning the painting an iconic status in art history.

Titian’s symbolism-brimming 1514 oil painting invites an endless wealth of interpretations and has kept art historians quizzing for centuries. The most popular analysis, however, is that the painting represents an allegory of the two types of love. The semi-nude woman depicted on the right is said to represent earthly and passionate love, while the sumptuously dressed woman on the opposite side is considered to be an embodiment of celestial love. Both women are resting on a water-filled white marble sarcophagus, in which a Cupid can be seen dipping his arm, perhaps as a symbol of mediation of love between the main figures.