Resumen de San Teodoro, inedito bozzetto di terracotta di una scultura del colonnato berniniano di San Pietro
A Roman private Collection houses two clay bozzetti, of ascertained provenance from Fabbrica di San Pietro, and formerly belonging to then Director of the Vatican Museums, Bartolomeo Noggara. The two bozzetti – that, in spite of the wish of the subsequent Director of the Museums Deoclecio Redig de Campos to publish them as Bernini’s autograph, have remained up to now unpublished – are related to two of the great sculptor’s works: one, to a stage of the projects for the statue of Saint Longino; and the other one, to one of the statues crowing the Saint Peter Colonnade, Saint Theodore. The two clay sculptures have been covered in the XVIII century by a layer of plaster, glue and paint, that in the case of Saint Longino is too thick to allow to present itr before a through cleaning, while it is possible to publish now Saint Theodore, whose surface, due to a much lighter treatment, is already well readable. This bozzetto is the only one hitherto found sculpture crowing of the Saint Peter Colonnade, that kept Bernini and his wide workshop busy since 1659/60. The relevance of this terracotta is strengthened by its high quality, that can be expected to awaken a scholar debate concerning its attribution.
