Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Fort Worth museum buys Bernini sculpture

|
|
 
  
Published: March. 29, 2004 at 1:27 PM

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 29 (UPI) -- The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, has bought the finest surviving terracotta sculpture by the Italian Renaissance master, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

"The Moor" was made in 1653 as a model for a fountain in Rome's Piazza Navona.

In announcing the purchase on the weekend, the museum identified the work as the figure of a nude triton that was rediscovered several years ago. It was purchased by a New York dealer at Sotheby's auction house in London in 2002 for $3 million as "attributed to Bernini." The dealer, Salander O'Reilly, authenticated the piece and placed it on the market with a price tag of $15 million, but the Kimbell purchase price was not announced.

It is believed the terracotta, a model for the finished marble statue, was made by the artist as a presentation piece for Pope Innocent X who commissioned the fountain in 1651.

"The Moor" is the second rare terracotta acquired by the Kimbell in recent months, the other being a 1500 portrait bust of a woman, believed to be Isabella d'Este, attributed to Gian Cristoforo Romano.

Topics: Gian Lorenzo Bernini
© 2004 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Protesters, police clash at NATO summit Notable deaths of 2012 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The 137th Preakness Stakes Annual Solar eclipse occurs in U.S. Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S.
Additional Entertainment News Stories
1 of 29
Members of the Army's Old Guard place flags at Arlington National Ceremtery
View Caption
U.S. flags are seen in the rucksack of a soldier with the Army's 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, as he places flags at gravesites in Arlington National Cemetery as part of the Flags-In Memorial Day ceremony on May 24, 2012 in Arlington, Virginia. American flags were placed at each of the more than 220,000 grave markers in honor of those who served and Memorial Day. UPI/Kevin Dietshc
fark
High school approves senior prank involving markers. Because you're reading this on Fark, you can...
Guess which German city is having a problem with rats? C'mon, this is an easy one
No one has ever been arrested on the charge of pimping in North Dakota ever before - until now
Vatican police investigating leaking of confidential documents come to the obvious conclusion. The...
Professor complains that crosses on state university entrance tower violate the separation of church...
TORONTO FARK PARTY - June 2nd. 1pm Blue Jays v. Red Sox, 8pm variety show at The Comedy Bar - stand-up,...