The Galleria Borghese, inside the Villa Borghese in Rome, brings together some of the most studied masterpieces in the history of Western art in a single visit. For those who arrive without knowing where to start, this is the essential of what to see.
Bernini's three sculptures
The core of the museum, for those who follow this channel, are the three large sculptural groups that Gian Lorenzo Bernini sculpted at a young age: Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625), the instant of the nymph's transformation into a laurel tree; Aeneas, Anchises and Ascânio (1618-1619), three generations in one moving body; and The Rape of Proserpina (1621-1622), with Pluto's fingers apparently sinking into the goddess's flesh. The three were born from direct reading of Ovid and Virgil, and knowing the myths before seeing the sculptures completely changes the experience.
Beyond Bernini
The Galleria Borghese also brings together a relevant set of paintings by Caravaggio, whose dramatic light and realism directly influenced the generation of artists that Bernini was part of, as well as works by Raphael, Titian and Correggio. It is a small museum in size, but dense with works that, alone, would justify an entire collection in any other city.
How to make the most of your visit
The museum operates in shifts with limited time, which makes the visit more of a concentrated immersion than a free tour. It's worth arriving knowing what myth is behind each of Bernini's sculptures: those who read it first see one thing, those who read it later see something completely different.
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What's in the Galleria Borghese?
The Galleria Borghese, in Rome, brings together three of Bernini's main sculptural groups (Apollo and Daphne, Aeneas with Anchises and Ascanius, and The Rape of Proserpina), as well as paintings by Caravaggio and works by Raphael and Titian, forming one of the most concentrated collections of Italian art in the world.
What are Bernini's most important works in the Galleria Borghese?
Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625), Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius (1618-1619) and The Rape of Proserpina (1621-1622), sculpted by Bernini at a young age, all based on scenes from Ovid and Virgil.
Is it worth taking extra time to see Caravaggio at the Galleria Borghese?
Yes. In addition to Bernini, the museum houses an important group of paintings by Caravaggio, the painter whose dramatic light directly influenced the visual language that Bernini later transformed into sculpture.
Continue on the Bernini cluster: Who was Bernini? · Exploring the Galleria Borghese · Is it worth going to the Galleria Borghese?
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