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Bernini, 'Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius', 1618-19

 


Bernini, in an early work, depicts three generations escaping the burning siege of Troy, as they appear in the epic Aeneid, by Virgil. Carrying his father on his left shoulder, the hero Aeneas leads his younger son, Ascanius, who shelters behind him. Drawing on sculptural precedent from Michelangelo and Giambologna, the strong verticals, coupled with the emotional intent of the work, mark it as a sculpture which shapes the early oeuvre of Bernini, who would go on to stamp his authority across the Italian Baroque. 

There is nothing to indicate the burning city of Troy in Bernini's work, sacked by the Greeks in the Aeneid, yet there is intent, movement and drama throughout the sculpture, as was typical of Baroque works. Despite its ability to be viewed in the round, movement is best felt by a viewer who faces the sculpture from the front, as all three figures are visible from this angle, head on. Although this was a feature which was criticised at the time, it enables all three faces to be clearly seen, it emphasises the strong verticality of the life-size work, whilst suggesting a sense of onward movement which is aided by the contrapposto stance of Aeneas. As he strides forward, at the same time he seems to stoop slightly under the weight of his father. Meanwhile, his face betrays a similar sense of fatigue; his eyes are slightly sunken and half closed, perhaps from the effort of carrying Anchises, whilst his mouth is open as if to suggest he is breathing heavily. Although his stance implies that he is weary, he also remains a stoic figure, as he pushes onward and concentrates on the task at hand - fleeing Troy and protecting his family. 

It was assumed at the time that this was a work sculpted by Bernini's father, Pietro. Perhaps it was indeed a family affair, and so the subject matter would seem even more fitting. Both the face of Aeneas, and the positioning of the figures, have equally been compared to works by Pietro Bernini, whilst the composition of a stacked grouping recalls Giambologna's Abduction of the Sabine Women now in Florence's Piazza della Signoria. However, Bernini here focuses on verticality, rather than the pyramid structure of Giambologna's sculpture, and the ability to assemble figures in the technically demanding medium of sculpting marble. Achieving almost a weightlessness to the figure of Aeneas' father, whilst remaining committed to an intense level of detail, Bernini sculpts each wave of hair, the pressure of fingers on skin and captures youth and old age with both accuracy and realism. Note, for instance, the folds of skin around Anchises' torso, in comparison to the blemish free features and musculature of his son. He may be the son of Aphrodite, but in Bernini's sculpture, Aeneas is just a man who values his family, bearing the weight of his father, and leading his son to the safety of whatever lies beyond.

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