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Elephant Bearing an Obelisk

Display metadata as:
Title:
Elephant Bearing an Obelisk
Alt. Title:
Minerva Obelisk
View:
View of the obelisk, with the front elevation of Santa Maria sopra Minerva behind
Creators:
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian sculptor, 1598-1680)
Creator:
Bernini, Gian Lorenzo
Style/Period:
Baroque
Style/Period:
Baroque
Location:
site: Rome, Lazio, Italy
Location Notes:
Piazza Santa Maria sopra Minerva
City or Site:
Rome
Country:
Italy
Culture:
Italian
Date:
1667 (creation)
Material:
marble
Work Type:
built works; monuments; visual works; sculpture (visual work)
Work Type:
monument
Description:
"Immediately on Bernini's return to Rome in 1666 Alexander VII commissioned him to design a setting in front of S Maria sopra Minerva for a small obelisk found near by. Bernini revived a project dating back to the 1630s, and the resultant Elephant Bearing an Obelisk was unveiled in the piazza in 1667." [Grove] The sculpture was executed by Ercole Ferrata. The Egyptian obelisk found in the Dominicans' garden. It is the shortest of the eleven Egyptian obelisks in Rome and is said to have been one of two obelisks moved from Sais. The inspiration for the unusual composition came from Hypnerotomachia Poliphili ("Poliphilo's Dream of the Strife of Love"), an unusual 15th century novel probably by Francesco Colonna. (Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/)
Classification:
architecture
Technique:
carving (processes); construction (assembling)
Subjects:
allegorical; animals; Egypt--Civilization; elephant; obelisk: Egyptian
Subject:
Egypt--Civilization
Image Rights:
© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.
Vendor ID:
1A1-BG-OS-A3
Image Filename:
1A1-BG-OS-A3.jpg
Image ID Number:
8173
Module:
Archivision Base Collection
Collection:
Archivision Samples
Record created:
May 2, 2013
Last modified:
May 2, 2013


Collection Memberships

Collection Visible
Archivision Samples yes
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