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Autumn in the Guise of Priapus (one of a pair)

Assisted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini Italian
1616–17
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 534
The two terms were made in 1616 by Pietro Bernini (1562–1629) with the assistance of his more famous son, the sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), for Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Each consisting of a half-body merging into a tapering pedestal, they originally stood in the gardens of the Villa Borghese in Rome, at the entrance to the cardinal's Vigna di Porta Pinciana. Appropriately laden with fruits and flowers, the Flora (see 1990.53.1) and Priapus, carved in an energetic, rustic fashion, symbolize the abundance of nature in spring and autumn.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Autumn in the Guise of Priapus (one of a pair)
  • Artist: Pietro Bernini (Italian, 1562–1629)
  • Artist: Assisted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome)
  • Date: 1616–17
  • Culture: Italian, Rome
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 89 5/8 × 30 5/8 × 27 5/8 in., 2531 lb. (227.6 × 77.8 × 70.2 cm, 1148.1 kg);
    Pedestal, confirmed: 42 1/2 × 30 × 30 in., 2725 lb. (108 × 76.2 × 76.2 cm, 1236.1 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Annenberg Foundation Gift, 1990
  • Object Number: 1990.53.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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2166. Autumn in the Guise of Priapus

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