Cornaro Chapel
Dublin Core
Title
Cornaro Chapel
Description
The construction of the Cornaro Chapel took place from 1647 to 1652 at the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. The project was comissioned by Frederigo Cornaro, the Cardinal of Venice to honor both himself, family members, and a saint. The chapel was constructed atop an already existing chapel [1].
At the center of the chapel is Bernini’s marble sculpture, The Ecstasy of Santa Teresa. In the sculpture, St. Teresa, draped intricately in carved fabric, lies defeated. Above her stands a cupid-esque figure holding an arrow aimed for St. Teresa’s heart. The cupid-like figure appears overjoyed in her expression, and also wears well carved robes. The statue evokes lightness and flow with the duality of emotion and intricate carving.
Surriounding the statue are several columns almost sheltering the statue and emphasizing the sanctity. Adorning the top of this central element are painted figures made of stucco, appearing to almost float above the pedestal.
On the walls adjacent, Bernini placed statues showing groups of individuals appearing like spectators. The figures are thought to be saints and Cornaro family members who bridge viewers with the scene of ecstasy.
The fusion of architecture, sculpture, and painting presents an abundance of motion, flow, and tension and incorporates viewers both physically and emotionally into the scene. Irving Lavin presents a detailed analysis of this fusion in his text, “Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts.” Lavin shows how Bernini mastered and fused the three media, and was a visionary in doing so [2]. While Lavin is correct that Bernini did literally unite the media in pieces like the Cornaro Chapel [3], he also more figuratively created unity in his individual medium paintings. By looking closely at sculptures and paintings of Bernini’s, his ability to translate ideas swiftly through media becomes clear.
[1] Warwick, Genevieve. “Bernini (1598–1680): Sculpting Sainthood.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 104, no. 416 (2015): 444–55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24640794.
[2] Lavin, Irving. Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1980.
[3] Montagu, Jennifer. “Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 124, no. 949 (1982): 240–43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/880696.
At the center of the chapel is Bernini’s marble sculpture, The Ecstasy of Santa Teresa. In the sculpture, St. Teresa, draped intricately in carved fabric, lies defeated. Above her stands a cupid-esque figure holding an arrow aimed for St. Teresa’s heart. The cupid-like figure appears overjoyed in her expression, and also wears well carved robes. The statue evokes lightness and flow with the duality of emotion and intricate carving.
Surriounding the statue are several columns almost sheltering the statue and emphasizing the sanctity. Adorning the top of this central element are painted figures made of stucco, appearing to almost float above the pedestal.
On the walls adjacent, Bernini placed statues showing groups of individuals appearing like spectators. The figures are thought to be saints and Cornaro family members who bridge viewers with the scene of ecstasy.
The fusion of architecture, sculpture, and painting presents an abundance of motion, flow, and tension and incorporates viewers both physically and emotionally into the scene. Irving Lavin presents a detailed analysis of this fusion in his text, “Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts.” Lavin shows how Bernini mastered and fused the three media, and was a visionary in doing so [2]. While Lavin is correct that Bernini did literally unite the media in pieces like the Cornaro Chapel [3], he also more figuratively created unity in his individual medium paintings. By looking closely at sculptures and paintings of Bernini’s, his ability to translate ideas swiftly through media becomes clear.
[1] Warwick, Genevieve. “Bernini (1598–1680): Sculpting Sainthood.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 104, no. 416 (2015): 444–55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24640794.
[2] Lavin, Irving. Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1980.
[3] Montagu, Jennifer. “Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 124, no. 949 (1982): 240–43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/880696.
Source
Lavin, Irving. Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1980.
Montagu, Jennifer. “Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 124, no. 949 (1982): 240–43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/880696.
Montagu, Jennifer. “Bernini and the Unity of the Visual Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 124, no. 949 (1982): 240–43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/880696.
Publisher
SCALA
Date
1647-1652
Contributor
Meena Gudapati
Type
Architecture, sculpture, painting
Coverage
S. Maria della Vittoria, Rome, Italy
Files
Citation
“Cornaro Chapel,” ARTHIST 256 - Italian Baroque Art - Fall 2021, accessed October 22, 2026, https://baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/items/show/326.