The Borghese Gallery is a museum built by Cardinal Borghese, the nephew of a pope, to house his private art collection. The main entry into the gallery is filled with Greek sculptures along the wall and frescoes on the walls and ceiling.
After the main entry area, you move through a series of rooms dominated by a very large sculpture. The first is Pauline Borghese (Napoleon’s sister) as Venus by Antonio Canova. The detail of the drape of the sheet and couch is amazing.
The next three rooms house Gian Bernini’s sculptures which launched the Baroque era. These are some of Bernini’s earliest sculptures created when he was in his early to mid 20s. The marble sculptures have great movement and incredible detail. The first up is the David which captures David about David to put a rock in his sling shot.
Next is the statue of Apollo and Daphne. It captures the moment Apollo captures Daphne and she starts to turn into a tree.
The last of these three sculptures is The Rape of Prosephina. Although we do not have a full picture of this sculpture, we do have one highlighting the detail, notice how Proserphina’s thigh dimples under the pressure of Pluto’s fingers.
The gallery continues with Greek sculptures, ancient Roman mosaic floors, and an extensive collection of Caravaggio paintings.
(Photo credit goes to Bret)