Bust of a Nobleman in Armour
Dublin Core
Title
Bust of a Nobleman in Armour
Description
Sculptor Giovacchino Fortini carved Bust of a Nobleman in Armour in 1700. The bust is done in white marble, and currently belongs to a private collection [1].
Fortini, a Florentine sculptor, was renowned for his busts that marked a design shift from the late Baroque period in Italy. His characteristic style of clean cut shadows and bright marble create an aura of sophistication to his work.
In Bust of a Nobleman in Armour, the model wears elegant looking armor, complete with a medusa emblem and cloth draping diagonally. He wears a wig with symmetric curls resting around his head and shoulders. The nobleman, who appears to be an adult, carries a restful expression and looks out to the audience denoting his high stature and experience in a humble manner. His posture is completely upright.
Fortini’s bust shows a more typical use of the medium during the renaissance and the Baroque periods [2]. The bust is used to show distinguished figures at rest as a preservation of their power and legacy in society. Comparing this bust to Bernini’s Damned Soul and Blessed Soul conveys how Bernini’s unconventional use of sculpture at the time show his ability to stay medium-agnostic while establishing his artistic lens.
Bernini uses busts outside of their more conventional purpose as shown by Fortini. Instead of depicting a person of high stature at rest, he captures motion, tension, and uncertainty in Blessed Soul and Damned Soul. Departing from the typical upright composition, Bernini embraces rotation. Even in Bernini’s bust comissions, such as the bust of Cardinal Scipione Borghnese, he shows motion through slight tilts and rotations, folds in fabric, and expression as a vehicle for showing power, intelligence and legacy. He takes these dynamic traits that are seen in portraits like Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit and boldly brings them to busts.
[1] “Bust of a Nobleman in Armour Giovacchino Fortini (1670 ...” The British Antique Dealers' Association. BADA. Accessed December 2, 2021. https://www.bada.org/object/bust-nobleman-armour-giovacchino-fortini-1670-1736.
[2] Warwick, Genevieve. “Bernini (1598–1680): Sculpting Sainthood.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 104, no. 416 (2015): 444–55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24640794.
Fortini, a Florentine sculptor, was renowned for his busts that marked a design shift from the late Baroque period in Italy. His characteristic style of clean cut shadows and bright marble create an aura of sophistication to his work.
In Bust of a Nobleman in Armour, the model wears elegant looking armor, complete with a medusa emblem and cloth draping diagonally. He wears a wig with symmetric curls resting around his head and shoulders. The nobleman, who appears to be an adult, carries a restful expression and looks out to the audience denoting his high stature and experience in a humble manner. His posture is completely upright.
Fortini’s bust shows a more typical use of the medium during the renaissance and the Baroque periods [2]. The bust is used to show distinguished figures at rest as a preservation of their power and legacy in society. Comparing this bust to Bernini’s Damned Soul and Blessed Soul conveys how Bernini’s unconventional use of sculpture at the time show his ability to stay medium-agnostic while establishing his artistic lens.
Bernini uses busts outside of their more conventional purpose as shown by Fortini. Instead of depicting a person of high stature at rest, he captures motion, tension, and uncertainty in Blessed Soul and Damned Soul. Departing from the typical upright composition, Bernini embraces rotation. Even in Bernini’s bust comissions, such as the bust of Cardinal Scipione Borghnese, he shows motion through slight tilts and rotations, folds in fabric, and expression as a vehicle for showing power, intelligence and legacy. He takes these dynamic traits that are seen in portraits like Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit and boldly brings them to busts.
[1] “Bust of a Nobleman in Armour Giovacchino Fortini (1670 ...” The British Antique Dealers' Association. BADA. Accessed December 2, 2021. https://www.bada.org/object/bust-nobleman-armour-giovacchino-fortini-1670-1736.
[2] Warwick, Genevieve. “Bernini (1598–1680): Sculpting Sainthood.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 104, no. 416 (2015): 444–55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24640794.
Creator
Giovacchino Fortini
Source
“Bust of a Nobleman in Armour Giovacchino Fortini (1670 ...” The British Antique Dealers' Association. BADA. Accessed December 2, 2021. https://www.bada.org/object/bust-nobleman-armour-giovacchino-fortini-1670-1736.
Publisher
BADA
Date
1700
Contributor
Meena Gudapati
Format
81 cm
Type
Bust
Coverage
Private Collection, New York City, USA
Files
Citation
Giovacchino Fortini, “Bust of a Nobleman in Armour,” ARTHIST 256 - Italian Baroque Art - Fall 2021, accessed October 22, 2026, https://baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/items/show/324.