Vittoriano
Head of a Moor
Gian Lorenzo Bernini C. 1653
On display at
Palazzo Venezia
The sculpture depicts the features of a Moor, a term generally used in seventeenth-century iconography to refer to individuals of African descent. The portrait notably emphasizes certain physical characteristics, such as a pronounced snub nose, full lips, and voluminous, textured hair. The expressive quality of the work is heightened by the subject’s intense gaze, furrowed brow, and deep lines around the mouth. This terracotta model was designed and most likely crafted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The sculpture depicts the features of a Moor, a term generally used in seventeenth-century iconography to refer to individuals of African descent. The portrait notably emphasizes certain physical characteristics, such as a pronounced snub nose, full lips, and voluminous, textured hair. The expressive quality of the work is heightened by the subject’s intense gaze, furrowed brow, and deep lines around the mouth. This terracotta model was designed and most likely crafted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Details of work
Denomination: Head of a Moor Author: Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Object date: C. 1653 Material:
Terracotta
Technique:
Modeling
Dimensions: height 11 cm; width 8.3 cm
Typology:
Sculptures
Acquisition: 1949 Place: Palazzo Venezia
Main inventory number:
10378
Catalog entry
First published by Brinckmann in 1923, the terracotta was subsequently attributed to Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) and identified as a preparatory study for the central figure of the Fontana del Moro in Piazza Navona (Hermanin 1948). In 1651, Pope Innocent X commissioned Bernini to renovate Giacomo della Porta’s original fountain, replacing its modest rock feature with a more visually striking ensemble of statuary. Following an initial design featuring three dolphins with crossed tails—which was ultimately rejected due to its diminutive scale—the sculptor proposed a composition with two tritons facing each other, supporting three dolphins on their shoulders. However, this iteration proved too complex for execution in marble. Consequently, Bernini developed a third version that was both monumental and less technically challenging, resulting in the current representation of the Moor with a centrally positioned dolphin. The terracotta model, dated circa 1653 and preceding the commission that initiated the actual work a year later, has garnered consensus among scholars who have highlighted its swift and incisive craftsmanship (Santangelo 1954; Bernini Pezzini 1986; Barberini 1991; Angelini 1999; Vigliarolo 2009; Giometti 2011; Bernardini 2021). Nonetheless, a recent comprehensive comparative study with the model housed at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth has led to a probable attribution to Bernini’s workshop, thereby supporting the hypothesis of Giovanni Antonio Mari's involvement—the artist commissioned to execute the sculpture in marble (Dickerson, Sigel 2012).
Jacopo Curzietti
Entry published on 16 October 2025
State of conservation
Poor. Aside from minor shrinkage fractures resulting from the firing process, which are observable on the nose and back of the head, a segment of hair on the right front of the terracotta has also been lost.
Restorations and analyses
2010: restoration by Davide Fondaro and Livia Sforzini;
2012: Diagnostic studies conducted by Marco Cardinali and Matteo Positano, Emmebi Diagnostica Artistica, Rome.
Provenance
Rome, Collezione Evan (Evangelista) Gorga, documented in 1948;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 1949.
Exhibition history
Rome, Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Il Trionfo dell’acqua. Immagine e forme dell’acqua nelle arti figurative, November 4, 1986–January 15, 1987;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Sculture in Terracotta del Barocco Romano, December 9, 1991–January 31, 1992;
Rome, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Regista del Barocco, May 21–September 16, 1999;
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bernini. Sculpting in Clay, October 3, 2012–January 6, 2013;
Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum, Bernini. Sculpting in Clay, February 3–April 14, 2013.
References
Brinckmann Abert Erich, Barock-Bozzetti. Italienische Bildhauer. Italian Sculptors, I, Frankfurt am Main 1923, p. 57;
Hermanin Federico, Il Palazzo di Venezia, Roma 1948, p. 279;
Santangelo Antonino (a cura di), Museo di Palazzo Venezia. Catalogo delle sculture, Roma 1954, p. 92;
Bernini Pezzini, in Il Trionfo dell’acqua. Immagine e forme dell’acqua nelle arti figurative, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, 4 novembre 1986-15 gennaio 1987), p. 36, n. 14;
Barberini Maria Giulia (a cura di), Sculture in terracotta del Barocco romano, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 9 dicembre 1991-31 gennaio 1992), Roma 1991, p. 40;
Angelini, in Bernardini Maria Grazia, Fagiolo dell’Arco (a cura di), Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Regista del Barocco, catalogo della mostra (Roma, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, 21 maggio-16 settembre 1999), Ginevra-Milano 1999, p. 382, n. 120;
Vigliarolo, in Barberini Maria Giulia, Sconci Maria Selene (a cura di), Guida al Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Roma 2009, p. 86, n. 92.
Giometti Cristiano (a cura di), Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia. Sculture in terracotta, Roma 2011, pp. 51-52, n. 30;
Dickerson, Sigel, in Dickerson Charles D., Sigel Anthony, Wardropper Ian (a cura di), Bernini. Sculpting in Clay, catalogo della mostra (New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 3 ottobre 2012-6 gennaio 2013; Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum, 3 febbraio-14 aprile 2013), New Haven and London 2012, pp. 178-181, n. 14;
Bernardini Maria Grazia, Bernini. Catalogo delle sculture, II, Torino 2021, p. 318.
Related objects
