New documents on the decoration of Bernini's Fonseca Chapel

• Autores: Fabio Barry
• Localización: Burlington magazine, ISSN 0007-6287, Vol. 146, Nº 1215, 2004, págs. 396-399
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Newly discovered documents published here document exactly the payments made to the team of artisans and artists that executed Bernini's Fonseca Chapel, or Cappella dell'Annunziata, in S. Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome, a milestone in the artist's career. The documents remove any lingering doubts about the dating of the chapel, confirming that previously proposed by the late Bruno Contardi (between 1661 and 1668), but narrowing down the execution of the actual decoration to between 1662 and 1665. Crucially, they also provide the names of all the artisans involved, an unusually complete record for any Baroque chapel. The detailed list complements other sources and thereby adds substantially to knowledge of Bernini's workshop in the early 1660s. Unsurprisingly, several members of the team documented were part of an extended workshop and worked on other projects, but, while the painters are well known, other lesser-known artisans were also involved. The writer goes on to discuss the various artists and artisans who worked on the chapel.