38 - Based on a model by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Naples, 1598 – Rome, 1680). Rome, 17th century or early 18th century.

Based on a model by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Naples, 1598 – Rome, 1680). Rome, 17th century or early 18th century. “Saint Bibiana.” Patinated bronze. Hollow cast. Auction history: Sotheby’s, London, Old Master Sculpture & Works of Art, July 2, 2019, lot 70. Cataloged as a 17th- or early 18th-century Roman cast, made after a model by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with an estimate of 150,000–250,000 British pounds. Measurements: 48 x 20 x 14 cm. This Saint Bibiana is one of the few known early bronze reductions of the famous sculpture conceived by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1624 and 1626 for the high altar of the Roman church dedicated to the saint. Its particular interest lies in the historical significance of the original model, considered one of the fundamental milestones in the development of Baroque religious sculpture, as well as in the limited circulation of its early bronze versions. The piece also has a notable track record on the international market: it was offered at Sotheby’s London on July 2, 2019, where it was cataloged as a 17th- or early 18th-century Roman cast with an estimate of 150,000 to 250,000 pounds sterling. The original sculpture of Saint Bibiana was created by Bernini during the pontificate of Urban VIII, as part of the renovation of the Roman church dedicated to the martyr. The commission marked a decisive stage in the sculptor’s career, as he was then beginning to establish himself as one of the great innovators of Roman art. In contrast to traditional Renaissance religious representations, Bernini introduced a profoundly innovative conception of the sacred image, in which the movement of the drapery, the expressiveness of the face, and the body’s posture all contribute to conveying the figure’s spiritual experience. The work is considered his first major public religious sculpture and foreshadows some of the artistic solutions that would reach their culmination in the artist’s mature works. The importance Bernini attached to this composition is reflected in the biography written by his son Domenico, published in Rome in 1713. According to this account, the sculptor considered Saint Bibiana one of his most inspired works, to the point of symbolically attributing the saint’s own intervention to its creation. This personal assessment, also noted by modern art historians, helps us understand the unique place the sculpture occupied within Bernini’s career. Of particular significance is the existence of early bronze castings derived from this model. Unlike other works by the sculptor, whose subsequent popularity gave rise to numerous reproductions, Saint Bibiana has only a small number of documented versions in this material. The 2019 Sotheby’s catalog listed only two other examples known to specialists: one offered at Christie’s New York on June 2, 1993, lot 221, approximately 47 cm tall, and another at Drouot, Paris, on December 9, 1994, lot 52, measuring 48.5 cm. The similarity in dimensions between these examples and the sculpture we are presenting highlights the existence of a tradition of small-scale castings that reproduced Bernini’s monumental composition. Philippe Malgouyres’s studies on bronze reductions of Bernini’s sculptures have helped shed light on the processes through which these models were disseminated. The researcher links the castings from Santa Bibiana to high-quality terracotta versions, likely derived from the original marble. This process made it possible to adapt monumental compositions to formats suitable for private collections and explains the circulation of different versions of the same sculptural design. The existence of these intermediate models is a fundamental aspect for understanding the transmission of Bernini’s creations and the activity of foundries specializing in casting during the 17th and 18th centuries. The historical significance of these smaller-scale versions is also reflected in the major European collections of the 18th century. One of the most significant documentary references pertains to François Crozat, Marquis de Châtel (1691–1750), secretary to Louis XV of France, whose collection included a bronze Saint Bibiana, listed in the catalog of his posthumous sale held in Paris on December 14, 1750. Although it is not possible to link that example to the piece we are presenting, its presence in an aristocratic collection of this importance demonstrates the interest that the bronze versions of the model aroused among major European collectors. The sculpture we present is of particular interest due to its craftsmanship and the preservation of the essential expressive qualities of the original composition. The complexity of the folds, the articulation of the figure, and the treatment of the details reveal the effort made to translate into bronze the sculptural qualities of a work initially conceived in marble and on a monumental scale. Its hollow casting and dark patina help define the materi