Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Blessed Soul

Blessed Soul is a bust sculpture by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, made around 1619. It was created as a pair with Damned Soul, and both works were commissioned by Cardinal Montoya, for whom Bernini also made a sculptural portrait. The sculpture was originally kept in the sacristy of the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. In the late 19th century, it was transferred to the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See in Piazza di Spagna.

Blessed Soul marble bust of a woman with an upward gaze and curled hair
Blessed Soul, a marble bust of a woman with an upward gaze and floral curls in her hair.
August 2013 · Public domain
Blessed Soul, a white marble bust of a female figure with curly hair and a flower wreath, shown on a veined marble pedestal.
Blessed Soul in white marble, with a female figure gazing upward and resting on a marble pedestal.
December 2017 © · CC BY 3.0
Blessed Soul, a white marble bust of a young woman in profile with wavy hair and floral ornaments, gazing upward.
Blessed Soul, a white marble bust shown in profile with an upward gaze and elaborate floral hair decoration.
December 2017 © · CC BY 3.0
Blessed Soul, a white marble bust of a female figure in profile with wavy hair and a floral wreath.
Blessed Soul by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, shown here as a white marble bust in profile.
December 2017 © · CC BY 3.0
Blessed Soul marble bust in profile, with curled hair and floral details on a reddish-brown pedestal.
Blessed Soul, a marble bust shown in profile with detailed curls and floral ornamentation.
December 2017 © · CC BY 3.0

Identification

TitleBlessed Soul
Alternative titleAlma bendita
Typemarble bust
Original titleAnima beata

Historical context

Date createdcirca 1619
Related workPendant to Damned Soul (Anima dannata / Âme damnée / Alma maldita)
Other work for the commissionerBernini also made a bust of Cardinal Montoya

Creator

ArtistGian Lorenzo Bernini
Artist nationalityItalian
Commissioned byCardinal Montoya, probably

Discovery and provenance

IdentificationTraditionally identified as the personification of Christian blessedness; recent studies question this and suggest it may instead be a nymph
Possible inspirationprints by Karel van Mallery
Original locationthe sacristy of the Church of San Giacomo degli Spagnuoli (also known as the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart / Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore)
Date of relocationlate 19th century
Current locationSpanish Embassy to the Holy See, Piazza di Spagna, in the Palazzo di Spagna

Appearance

Initial categorizationInitially categorized as a nymph and a satyr

Significance

ReceptionNot particularly well known, but it attracted the attention of some visitors to Rome
Joshua Reynolds's assessmentHe said it had all the sweetness and perfect happiness imaginable, visible in its expression
Rudolf Wittkower's observationHe noted the woman's soft hair
Howard Hibbard's assessmentHe considered it inferior to the Damned Soul and thought virtuous appearances do not translate well into sculpture
Later critical receptionNot considered one of Bernini's finest works in more recent times