Search
Search
Historic Houses

Located on Freemason St. —

Open Saturday and Sunday

Noon–5 p.m.

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

By Appointment

Tuesday-Thursday

10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Moses Myers House

The oldest Jewish home in America open to the public as a museum offers a glimpse of the life of an early 19th century merchant family.
More about the house

About the Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

Willoughby-Baylor House

Completed in 1794, this former home now presents a mix of art and artifacts. See what's on view

Located in Norfolk

One Memorial Place,
Norfolk, VA
Get Directions

While You're Here

Visit our Museum Shop
and the Wisteria Cafe.

Perry Glass Studio

A state-of-art facility on the Museum’s campus. See a free glassmaking demo Tuesdays–Sunday at noon. Like what you see? Take a class with us! More about the Studio

Moses Myers House

The home of the first permanent Jewish residents of Norfolk, this historic house offers a glimpse of the life of a wealthy early 19th-century merchant family.
More about the house

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the Library

Weddings & Event Rentals

The perfect place for your big day or special event. Get the details

Take a tour

We offer a number of tours on different topics. More about tours

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

Visit one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

About the Chrysler

Our story spans well over 100 years. See where we began, how we grew, and where we're going. Explore our history

News and Announcements

See what's happening at the Museum, read Chrysler Magazine, and find our Media Center. Read now

Location

745 Duke Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-333-6299

Always Free Parking

Get Directions

Third Thursdays

Live art performances monthly.
See the archive

Studio Team

Meet the brilliant minds behind the Studio.
See the team

Studio Assistantship Program

Further your career and join us in Norfolk.
Find out more

The Masterpiece Society

Learn about this innovative group of museum supporters.
Meet the Masterpiece Society

Planned Giving

Help ensure the long-term success of the Museum.
Learn about planned giving

Historic Houses

Located on Freemason St. —

Open Saturday and Sunday

Noon–5 p.m.

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

By Appointment

Tuesday-Thursday

10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Moses Myers House

The oldest Jewish home in America open to the public as a museum offers a glimpse of the life of an early 19th century merchant family.
More about the house

About the Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

Willoughby-Baylor House

Completed in 1794, this former home now presents a mix of art and artifacts. See what's on view

Located in Norfolk

One Memorial Place,
Norfolk, VA
Get Directions

While You're Here

Visit our Museum Shop
and the Wisteria Cafe.

Perry Glass Studio

A state-of-art facility on the Museum’s campus. See a free glassmaking demo Tuesdays–Sunday at noon. Like what you see? Take a class with us! More about the Studio

Moses Myers House

The home of the first permanent Jewish residents of Norfolk, this historic house offers a glimpse of the life of a wealthy early 19th-century merchant family.
More about the house

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

With an extensive collection of more than 106,000 rare and unique volumes relating to the history of art, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library is one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the Library

Weddings & Event Rentals

The perfect place for your big day or special event. Get the details

Take a tour

We offer a number of tours on different topics. More about tours

Jean Outland Chrysler Library

Visit one of the most significant art libraries in the South. More about the library

About the Chrysler

Our story spans well over 100 years. See where we began, how we grew, and where we're going. Explore our history

News and Announcements

See what's happening at the Museum, read Chrysler Magazine, and find our Media Center. Read now

Location

745 Duke Street
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-333-6299

Always Free Parking

Get Directions

Third Thursdays

Live art performances monthly.
See the archive

Studio Team

Meet the brilliant minds behind the Studio.
See the team

Studio Assistantship Program

Further your career and join us in Norfolk.
Find out more

The Masterpiece Society

Learn about this innovative group of museum supporters.
Meet the Masterpiece Society

Planned Giving

Help ensure the long-term success of the Museum.
Learn about planned giving

Collections Menu
Bust of the Savior

Bust of the Savior

Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598-1680)
Date: ca. 1679
Medium: Marble
Dimensions:
36 1/2 × 13 in. (92.7 × 33 cm)
Other: 510 lb. (231.3 kg)
Classification: European art
Credit Line: Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number: 71.2043
Terms
  • Religion
  • Christianity
  • Jesus
  • White
  • Rome
On view
DescriptionA monumental marble bust of Christ, who looks heavenward. His right hand is raised in blessing, and his left hand is tucked beneath the right, with only the wrist being visible.

Exhibition History"Veronese to Franz Kline: Masterworks from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk," for the benefit of The Chrysler Museum Art Reference Library, Wildenstein & Co., New York, N. Y., April 13 - May 13, 1978. (Exh. cat. no. 13)
"Work of the Month," Chrysler Museum of Art, April, 1981.
"Gian Lorenzo Bernini: 1598 - 1680," National Gallery of Art, Sept. 27, 1998 - Jan. 3, 1999.
“Bernini, ”Galleria Borghese, Rome, October 31, 2017 – February 4, 2018

Label textGian Lorenzo Bernini
Italian, 1598–1680
Bust of the Savior, ca. 1679
Marble

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an international art celebrity. Near the end of his life, Bernini created a bust-length figure of Christ for Queen Christina of Sweden. Two other versions survive, and recently scholars have been investigating if Benini himself sculpted this, or if it was produced by his workshop. At a 2017 exhibition in Rome, the Chrysler bust was shown beside one from a church in Rome that is more polished and finished, but without the drilling in the beard, a technique for which Bernini was famous. The lower wrist in the Chrysler bust is alo more accurately carved, suggesting this bust is less likely a copy, or workshop version.

Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2043

Published References Irving Lavin. "Bernini's Death," _Art Bulletin_. 54. New York : College Art Association of America. 1972:159-186. Irving Lavin. "Afterthoughts on 'Bernini's Death'," _Art Bulletin_. 55. New York : College Art Association of America. 1973:429-433. Eric M. Zafran and Mario Amaya. _Veronese to Franz Kline: Masterworks from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk_. Norfolk, VA: The Chrysler Museum. 1978. No. 13. Eric Zafran. "From the Renaissance to the Grand Tour," _Apollo_. Volume 107, no. 194. 04/1978:pp. 4-15, ill. Irving Lavin. "On the Pedestal of Bernini's Bust of the Savior," _Art Bulletin_. 60. New York : College Art Association of America. 1978:548-549. Nancy Jacobson. "Spotlight: Bernini's Bust of the Savior," _The Chrysler Museum Bulletin_. Vol. 11, no. 3. Norfolk: Chrysler Museum. 03/1981:p. 4, ill. Chrysler Museum. _Selections from the Permanent Collection: The Chrysler Museum_. Norfolk, VA: Chrysler Museum of Art. 1982: p. 33. Catherine M. Soussloff. "Old Age and Old-Age Style in the 'Lives' of Artists: Gianlorenzo Bernini," _Art Journal_. Vol. 46, no. 2. 06/1987:pp. 117-119, ill. fig. 4. Bruno Contardi, Giovanna Curcio, Elena Bianca Di Gioia. _Le Immagine del Santissimo Salvatore: Fabbriche e Sculture per l'Ospizio Apostolico dei Poveri Invalidi_. Roma : De Luca edizioni d'arte. 1988. pp.229-283. Jefferson C. Harrison. _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, 1991, p. 46, #37. Charles Scribner III. _Gianlorenzo Bernini_. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. 1991:pp. 126-127, colorplate 42. Charles Avery. _Bernini Genius of the Baroque_. London: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., 1997, 177. Irving Lavin. _Bernini e il Salvatore_. Rome: Donzelli editore. 1998: illustrated no. 10-14. Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 31, fig. 24. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1 Achim Böhmer and Sara Hausmann, _Retrodesign Stylelab_ (Mainz: Verlag Hermann Schmidt Mainz, 2009), 186. ISBN: 978-3-87439-726-1
Provenance The artist, 1679-1680; Queen Christina of Sweden, Rome, 1680-1689; Pope Innocent XI, Odescalchi, 1689; The Palazzo Odescalchi, 1713; Vicomte Jacques de Canson, Paris, 1952; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum, 1971.
Catalogue EntryGianlorenzo Bernini
Italian, 1598-1680
Bust of the Savior, 1679-1680
Marble, 36½" (92.7 cm)
Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 71.2043

References: Irving Lavin, "Bernini's Death," _Art Bulletin_. 54 (1972), pp.159-186; idem, "Afterthoughts on 'Bernini's Death'," _Art Bulletin_. 55, (1973), pp. 429-433; idem "On the Pedestal of Bernini's Bust of the Savior," _Art Bulletin_, 60 (1978), pp. 548-549; _Le Immagini del Santissimo Salvatore_, exhib. cat., Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome, 1988-89, pp. 229-283.

Bernini was the greatest sculptor and architect of the seventeenth century and the major founder of Italian High Baroque style. An artistic demigod who dominated the Roman art world for more than fifty years, he was courted by kings and popes throughout his career. At the time of his death - he succumbed to a stroke in Rome in 1680 - he was revered throughout Europe.
Bernini began the marble _Bust of the Savior_ in 1679, only a year before his death. Both of his early biographers, Filippo Baldinucci (1682) and Bernini's son Domenico (1713), discuss the work at length. They record that the artist intended to present the bust - his final work - as a gift to his dear friend and ardent supporter, Queen Christina of Sweden, who was then living in Rome. Baldinucci writes:
Bernini was already in the eightieth year of his life. For some time past he had
been turning his most intense thoughts to attaining eternal repose rather than to increasing his earthly glory. Also, deep within his heart was the desire to offer, before closing his eyes to this life, some sign of gratitude to Her Majesty the Queen of Sweden, his most special patron. In order, therefore, to penetrate more deeply into the first concept and to prepare himself better for the second, he set to work with the greatest intensity to create in marble a half -length figure, larger than life-size, of Our Savior Jesus Christ. This is the work that he said was his favorite and it was the last given to the world by his hand.

According to Baldinucci, Christina refused the gift in a moment of royal self-deprecation: "The Queen's opinion of, and esteem for, the statue was so great that, not finding herself in circumstances in which it was possible to give a comparable gift in exchange, she chose to reject it rather than fail in the slightest degree to equal the royal magnificence of her intention." Bernini then bequeathed the bust to her, and, at Christina's death in 1689, it passed to Pope Innocent XI Odescalchi, in whose family it remained at least until 1713, when it was mentioned in an inventory of the Palazzo Odescalchi. By then the sculpture had achieved considerable fame, having been chosen as the official emblem of the Apostolic Hospital in Rome.
An early description of the bust states that it originally stood atop an elaborate and richly ornamented pedestal that rose more than seven feet from the floor. Constructed from Bernini's own design, the pedestal was composed of a gilded wooden socle, stepped at the top, that supported a pair of kneeling angels, also in gilded wood. The angels, in turn, upheld the bust on a base of Sicilian jasper. As Irving Lavin noted in 1972,
Bernini's _Savior_ is the first monumental marble bust since antiquity that... [was designed to]...stand free on a pedestal and include both arms. [The figure's left hand is tucked beneath the right, its wrist just visible.] It combines, in an unprecedented way for a Christian image, the living and dramatic quality of a narrative figure with the commemorative and idolous quality of a classical bust monument.

Turning his head heavenward and raising his right hand in blessing, Bernini's Christ proclaims his role as intercessor between God and man, his divine mission as _Salvator Mundi_. Though universal in its spiritual message, the bust remains an intensely personal creation, Bernini's very private tribute to the deity on the eye of his own demise. It is Bernini's last will and testament as an artist, an embodiment of his faith and hope for salvation.
Among the artist's preliminary drawings for the _Bust of the Savior_ are a black chalk study of the angels that once supported the bust (Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig) and a sheet of black chalk studies of the Savior's head and chest (Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe, Rome). A marble copy of the bust, made by an unknown artist at the time of Bernini's death, is preserved in the Cathedral at Sées in France.