Elephant Bearing an Obelisk (Rome, Italy) : Side view of the obelisk
- Creator:
- Bernini, Gian Lorenzo, 1598-1680
- Published/Created:
- Piazza Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Lazio, Italy
1667 - Date Depicted:
- 10/9/1998
1500 AD - 1699 AD - Materials:
- marble
- Notes:
- Immediately on Bernini's return to Rome in 1666 Alexander VII commissioned him to design a setting in front of S Maria sopra Minerva for a small obelisk found near by. Bernini revived a project dating back to the 1630s, and the resultant Elephant Bearing an Obelisk was unveiled in the piazza in 1667." [Grove] The sculpture was executed by Ercole Ferrata. The Egyptian obelisk found in the Dominicans' garden. It is the shortest of the eleven Egyptian obelisks in Rome and is said to have been one of two obelisks moved from Sais. The inspiration for the unusual composition came from Hypnerotomachia Poliphili ("Poliphilo's Dream of the Strife of Love"), an unusual 15th century novel probably by Francesco Colonna.
- Variant Titles:
- Santa Maria sopra Minerva Obelisk
- Topics:
- Architecture -- Italy -- 17th century -- (YVRC)
- Period/Style:
- Baroque
- Culture:
- Italian
- Accession Number:
- 1A1-BG-OS-A4
- Genre:
- obelisks (monumental pillars) (AAT)
sculpture (AAT) - Format:
- Image
- Content Type:
- Sculptures, Models, & Architecture
- Rights:
- Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement. - Access Restrictions:
- Yale Community Only
- Digital:
- allegorical; animals; Egypt--Civilization carving ; construction built works; monuments; visual works; sculpture (visual work) animal; elephant; obelisk: Egyptian
- Source Creator:
- Gilchrist, Scott
- Source Title:
- Archivision Base Collection
- Source Created:
- 2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
10/9/1998 - Source Note:
- Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist
- Yale Collection:
- Visual Resources Collection
- Digital Collection:
- Visual Resources Collection
- Local Record Number:
- 4152
- OID:
- 10087652
- PID:
- digcoll:1824570