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The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun

The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun is the earliest known work by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Made between 1609 and 1615, it is now part of the Borghese Collection at the Borghese Gallery in Rome. The sculpture belongs to a series of marble putti groups attributed to Bernini and is the only one that can be dated approximately. According to Filippo Baldinucci, Bernini had already shown remarkable talent as a child. In 1615, a carpenter was paid to provide a wooden base for the group, and some writers date the work to 1609 based on stylistic evidence and interpretation of the dated pedestal.

The Goat Amalthea marble sculpture showing a shaggy goat with two small child-like figures beside it.
The Goat Amalthea marble sculpture, with a shaggy goat and two child-like figures.
· CC BY-SA 3.0
The Goat Amalthea sculpture showing two cherubic children with a recumbent goat.
The Goat Amalthea by Bernini, depicting two cherubic children beside a recumbent goat.
December 2017 © · CC BY 3.0
The Goat Amalthea marble sculpture with a shaggy goat lying down and two cherubic figures beside it.
The Goat Amalthea, a marble sculpture by Bernini, shown with a goat and two cherubic figures.
© · CC BY 3.0
The Goat Amalthea sculpture showing two plump child figures with a shaggy goat, one kneeling on its back and another covering its eyes.
The Goat Amalthea depicts two children interacting with a shaggy goat in this marble sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
April 2019 © · Public domain
The Goat Amalthea marble sculpture with a shaggy goat and two cherubic figures
The Goat Amalthea depicted as a marble sculpture with a shaggy goat and two cherubic figures.
June 2014 © · CC BY 3.0

Identification

TitleThe Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun
Original titleLa Chèvre Amalthée avec Jupiter enfant et un faune
Other titleGiove bambino e un fauno nutriti dalla capra Amaltea
TypeMarble sculpture group

Creator

ArtistGian Lorenzo Bernini
Artist nicknameLe Bernin
Artist nationalityItalian
AttributionAttributed to Gian Lorenzo Bernini; attributed by Roberto Longhi in 1926

Historical context

Dating basisStylistic grounds and the interpretation of a 1615 invoice for the wooden pedestal
DateProbably around 1609; generally dated between 1609 and 1615, with some writers proposing 1615
Career statusEarliest known work by Bernini
Context of commissionOne of Bernini's early works made under Cardinal Borghese's patronage for the villa gardens
PatronCardinal Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V

Discovery and provenance

Original locationLanfranco's loggia
Later locationVilla Borghese, Rome
Current ownershipBorghese Collection

Location and ownership

Current locationGalleria Borghese, Rome

History and restoration

PedestalA wooden pedestal was made in 1615; some writers think it replaced an earlier base
RelocationMoved to the Villa Borghese at the end of the 18th century by Antonio Asprucci
Protection and returnSafeguarded by Napoleonic troops and later returned to its place of origin
Public presentationPresented to tourists in 1997

Physical characteristics

Height45 cm

Materials

MaterialMarble
Pedestal materialWood

Technique

Surface treatmentDifferent finishes in the marble create varying tactile, luminous, and chromatic effects

Appearance

Depiction of materialsThe goat's fur, the children's skin, and the milk are rendered with contrasting finishes and luminosities
StyleNaturalism and liveliness inspired by Hellenistic art
RealismExpressive, realistic treatment of matter and its variations

Iconography and meaning

SettingNear Mount Ida
Figures depictedAmalthea the goat, the infant Jupiter, and a faun
Allegory of hearingThe goat's bleating and the bell around its neck
Allegory of tasteThe satyr drinking from the shell
Allegory of touchThe milking of the infant Jupiter
Allegory of sightThe play of gazes
Allegorical interpretationAmalthea is also interpreted as an allegory of the four senses
Mythological backgroundRhea hid Jupiter from Cronus; Amalthea nourished him near Mount Ida
SubjectThe infant Jupiter, the goat Amalthea, and a faun

Significance

Status in Bernini's oeuvreOne of Bernini's first sculptures and one of three surviving marble groups of putti attributed to him
Artistic interpretationSeen as an early work that already shows the qualities that later made Bernini famous
Theme in Bernini's early workPart of Bernini's repeated early interest in putti and imitation of nature

Other

Authorship noteSome sources say the work may have been created with the help of Bernini's father
Uncertainty about dateThe exact date is uncertain; the work is only approximately dateable
Early attribution historyFor some periods it was thought to be an ancient original because of its style
Earlier rumour about authorship/dateSome rumours placed its creation between ages 8 and 12, but this is rejected as false