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Angel with the Crown of Thorns

Angel with the Crown of Thorns is a statue by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was originally commissioned by Pope Clement IX for the Ponte Sant'Angelo project in Rome. The original sculpture was later replaced with a copy, and Bernini’s version was moved to Sant'Andrea delle Fratte in Rome, Italy. Work on the statue began in 1667 and was completed in 1669. A terracotta modello for the sculpture is held by the musée du Louvre in Paris. The statue depicts the crown of thorns mentioned in the canonical gospels.

Bernini\'s Angel with the Crown of Thorns, a white marble angel holding a thorny wreath and looking upward.
Bernini’s Angel with the Crown of Thorns, shown in white marble against a dark interior wall.
October 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bernini\'s Angel with the Crown of Thorns, a white marble angel sculpture holding a thorny wreath inside a church interior.
Angel with the Crown of Thorns by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, shown in a church interior with dark marble walls.
October 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Angel with the Crown of Thorns marble sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini holding a thorny wreath.
Angel with the Crown of Thorns by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, shown in white marble with flowing drapery and wings.
© of photograph Raymond A. Mosley · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bernini\'s Angel with the Crown of Thorns in white marble, holding a thorny wreath inside a richly decorated church interior.
The Angel with the Crown of Thorns by Bernini, shown in a marble interior with ornate architectural details.
© · CC BY-SA 4.0
Terracotta sculpture of Angel with the Crown of Thorns, shown with a draped body, downward gaze, and a thorny crown held near the chest.
Angel with the Crown of Thorns shown in terracotta, with the figure’s wings, drapery, and crown held close to the body.
December 2017 © · CC BY 3.0

Identification

TitleAngel with the Crown of Thorns
Portuguese titleO Anjo com coroa de espinhos
Original Italian titleL'angelo con la corona di spine
Typestatue
French titleAnge avec la couronne d'épines

Creator

ArtistGian Lorenzo Bernini
Artist nationalityItalian
Artist lifespan1598–1680

Historical context

Date1667–1669
Commissioned byPope Clement IX
Original intended locationPonte Sant'Angelo
Original commissionfor the Ponte Sant'Angelo project

Discovery and provenance

Current locationSant'Andrea delle Fratte, Rome, Italy
Original statue replaced bya copy
Terracotta model locationMusée du Louvre, Paris

Materials

Model materialterracotta

Iconography and meaning

Depicted subjectthe crown of thorns mentioned in the canonical gospels