This bust was cast at the Vatican foundry, probably by Giovanni Artusa da Piscina, after a model by Cafà.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Detail of PR side
Detail head
Detail of inscription on back of cape
Artwork Details
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Title:Pope Alexander VII (Fabio Chigi, 1599–1667; reigned 1655–67)
Artist:Melchiorre Cafà (Maltese, 1638–1667)
Founder:Cast by Giovanni Piscina
Date:1667
Culture:Italian, Rome
Medium:Bronze
Dimensions:Overall (confirmed): 39 1/4 x 34 1/4 x 16 1/2 in., 145 lb. (99.7 x 87 x 41.9 cm, 65.7716 kg)
Classification:Sculpture-Bronze
Credit Line:Edith Perry Chapman Fund, 1957
Accession Number:57.20
Signature: Signed and dated on back of cape: MELCHIOR. CAFA/MELITENSIS / FAC. AN DOM. / MDCLXVII
Inscription: Stickers: (on underside) ANNEXE/ 007; (on base) 3263
Family of Pope Alexander VII ; baron Gustave de Rothschild , Paris ; by descent to Baroness Rothschild-Lambert , Paris ; [ Stiebel Ltd. , New York, until 1957; sold to MMA ]
Detroit Institute of Arts. "Art in Italy, 1600–1700," April 6–May 9, 1965.
Sarasota. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. "Baroque Portraiture in Italy: Works from North American Collections," December 7, 1984–February 3, 1985.
Hartford, Conn. Wadsworth Atheneum. "Baroque Portraiture in Italy: Works from North American Collections," March 20–May 20, 1985.
Madrid. Palacio Real de Madrid. "Courts of the Baroque Age: From Bernini and Velázquez to Luca Giordano," October 15, 2003–January 11, 2004.
Rome. Scuderie del Quirinale. "Courts of the Baroque Age: From Bernini and Velázquez to Luca Giordano," February 12, 2004–May 2, 2004.
Los Angeles. J. Paul Getty Museum. "Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture," August 5, 2008–October 26, 2008.
Ottawa. National Gallery of Canada. "Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture," November 28, 2008–March 8, 2009.
After a model by Alessandro Algardi (Italian, Bologna 1598–1654 Rome)
second half of the 17th century
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