Ultimate Guide to the Must-See Borghese Gallery Sculptures

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: 1621-1622

Location: Ground floor of the Borghese Gallery

This sculpture portrays the abduction of Proserpina by Pluto, the god of the underworld. Standing at approximately 2.25 meters, it is carved from Carrara marble, enhancing the fine appearance and expressive faces of the subjects. Proserpina's struggle to break free from Pluto's muscular grasp is evident, and this theatrical quality of the sculpture makes this piece a prime example of Baroque artistry.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: 1623-1624

Location: Ground floor of the Borghese Gallery

Bernini's rendition of David, a popular subject during the Renaissance, captures the moment David prepares to strike Goliath with a stone. Unlike other interpretations, Bernini's *David *emphasizes the hero's flaws and determination as he prepares with all his might to hit Goliath with the stone. Though unfinished from the back as it was meant to be hung on the wall, this Baroque-style sculpture remains iconic.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini, with contributions from his student Giuliano Finelli

Year: 1622-1625

Location: Ground floor of the Borghese Gallery

This sculpture, one of the last works commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, depicts the mythological encounter between Apollo and Daphne. As Apollo's desire for Daphne grows, she rejects him and prays to Peneus that the beauty that injures her or the body that destroys her life be transformed. Before her prayer ends, her arms turn into thin barks and her legs into roots, her hair into moving leaves but Apollo’s love for her remains unchanged. The intricate details of the sculpture, such as Apollo's curls and Daphne's transformation into a tree, showcase Bernini's remarkable craftsmanship.

Artist: Antonio Canova

Year: 1805-1808

Location: Ground floor of the Borghese Gallery

This life-sized, neo-classical portrait of Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, depicts her as the goddess Venus. Commissioned by her husband, Camilio Borghese, the semi-nude sculpture exudes elegance and strength as she holds an apple, symbolizing her supremacy among female divinities The name of the sculpture, Venus Victrix, translates to Venus the Victorious.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: 1605-1615

Location: Ground floor of the Borghese Gallery

This early masterpiece by Gian Lorenzo Bernini is based on the mythological story of Zeus and the goat Amalthea. To save Zeus from being swallowed by his father, Kronos, his mother Rhea, gave Kronos a stone wrapped to look like a baby and gave the infant Zeus to Amalthea to nurse in a cave on a mountain in Crete. This sculpture is one of three surviving putti artworks created by Bernini.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: early 1620s

Location: Room IV, Borghese Gallery

This 52 m bronze sculpture of Neptune, commissioned by Cardinal Di Montalto, depicts the god wielding a trident, giving the illusion that he is about to strike. Neptune stands astride a seashell with Triton between his legs. Though belonging to the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome, the design has been on loan to the Borghese Gallery since 1945.

Artist: Original invention by Polykyles, restored by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: 2nd century A.D., with Bernini's mattress created in 1620

Location: Room V of the Borghese Gallery

Depicting the myth of the child of Hermes and Aphrodite, this Parisian marble sculpture has been in existence since the 2nd century A.D. With 20 known copies around the world, the version at the Borghese Gallery, originally created by Polykyles, has been restored by Bernini, who was also commissioned to create the buttoned mattress on which Hermaphroditus lies.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: 1646-1652

Location: Room VI, Borghese Gallery

This exquisite, 280 cm tall marble sculpture represents truth as a naked young woman, allegorically unveiled by time. Though incomplete, it remains one of Bernini's most valuable works. In Bernini’s will, he left the sculpture to the firstborn of his descendants and the sculpture remained with the family till 1924 after which the Italian government purchased it and it is now housed in the Borghese Gallery.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: 1618-1619

Location: Room VI, Borghese Gallery

This life-sized, white marble sculpture represents three generations of the Aeneas family, illustrating a scene from the Aeneid with Aeneas leading his family from Troy. Created by Bernini when he was just twenty years old, it is said to be inspired by works of Raphael and Michelangelo.

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Year: 1632

Location: Room XIV, Borghese Gallery

These two Carrara marble busts of Cardinal Scipione Borghese are renowned for their Baroque aesthetic, depicting an alert gaze and half-open mouth. After completing the first sculpture, Bernini  discovered a crack in the first sculpture, which motivated him to create a second one in just three days. However, the initial version is considered superior.