BERNINI, GIAN LORENZO

born Dec. 7, 1598, Naples, Kingdom of Naples died Nov. 28, 1680, Rome, Papal States Apollo and Daphne, marble sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 162224; in the Italian artist who was perhaps the greatest sculptor of the 17th century and an outstanding architect as well. Bernini created the Baroque style of sculpture and developed it to such an extent that other artists are of only minor importance in a discussion of that style. Additional reading The earliest and most authoritative life of Bernini is Filippo Baldinucci, The Life of Bernini (1966), a translation of a 17th-century work. Scholarly introductions to Bernini's work, life, and times are Howard Hibbard, Bernini (1965, reissued 1976); and Charles Scribner III, Gianlorenzo Bernini (1991). George C. Bauer (ed.), Bernini in Perspective (1976); and Irving Lavin (ed.), Gianlorenzo Bernini: New Aspects of His Art and Thought (1985), are collections of interpretive essays. Bernini's epoch-making visit to France in 1665 is detailed in Cecil Gould, Bernini in France (1981). The basic catalog of sculpture, with bibliography, is Rudolf Wittkower, Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Sculptor of the Roman Baroque, 3rd ed. (1981).