A Tale of Two Lawrences: the Teenage Bernini's First Masterpiece
Saint Lawrence’s feast day is August 10
From a young age, Gian Lorenzo Bernini developed a great devotion to his patron, Saint Lawrence, the second-century Roman martyr famous for joking with his tormentors while being roasted alive. So much so that, in a fit of impulsive ingenuity, the fifteen year old Bernini put his leg up to a fire to imitate the agony of his patron saint.
His son Domenico chronicles it like this:
He stood barelegged on one leg near smoldering ashes and thus experienced the martyrdom of the Saint, while using a mirror and a pencil to draw the painful expression on his face, and observed the various effects that his own flesh underwent as a result of the heat of the flames. (Vita del Cavalier Gio. Lorenzo Bernini, 1713)
Although ultimately Bernini did not portray Lawrence with an agonized expression, this episode exemplifies Bernini’s passionate devotion to his faith and his art. Bernini so favored his patron saint, he often introduced himself as Lorenzo, instead of Gian.
Notably, Bernini did not sculpt Saint Lawrence for a patron, as was the usual practice. Although some art historians say he made this statue simply because he relished the challenge of crafting flames from stone, it seems more reasonable to believe his son’s account—that Bernini sculpted it “for the veneration of his patron Saint.” Bernini called the statue of Saint Lawrence “the firstborn of his devotion.”
With “The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence,” the fifteen-year-old Bernini boldly put himself in direct conversation and in competition (paragone) with Michelangelo and sculptures from classical antiquity. Traditionally the stony stillness of marble bestowed a kind of divine immortality upon a subject. Bernini captures this sense and also animates his stone with a flesh-and-blood dynamism hitherto unseen. This dynamism allowed him to sculpt the moment of Lawrence’s martyrdom, a subject that had before only existed in painting.
Saint Lawrence’s reclined pose and dying composure call to mind the famous “Dying Gaul” from antiquity. By rendering Lawrence in the same position, Bernini puts him in the mold of the heroic warrior. In Gian Lorenzo’s sculpture, the Roman martyr accepts death with the courage of a warrior and the faith of a saint.
Both sculptures show moving depictions of dying men with remarkable inner strength. Unlike the Gaul, whose death is marked by tragedy, Bernini’s Saint Lawrence looks up with hope in the life to come.
Although Lawrence the deacon never wielded a sword, he persevered in his faith and bravely challenged the Roman authorities. When pressed to turn over the Church’s riches before his execution, Saint Lawrence spent three days distributing the treasures to the poor. During his trial he pointed to them and said, “behold the jewels of the Church.”
Saint Lawrence’s remarkably serene facial expression undoubtedly alludes to the expression of Christ in Michelangelo’s Pieta. Bernini reminds us that the suffering offered up by a Christian brings him closer to Christ. Furthermore, the serenity of the saint is not deserved but a gift from God. Augustine says that, inflamed with the love of Christ, Lawrence “did not feel the tortures of the fire.”
The sculpture also clearly points to the famous scene in the Sistine Chapel. Like Michelangelo’s Adam, Bernini’s Saint Lawrence reclines with one knee pulled up toward his body. Both bodies reflect the beautiful craftsmanship of the Creator. However, while Adam waits limply to receive God’s life-giving touch, Saint Lawrence is animated with the zeal of a saint. His symbolically large hand seems to gesture toward his torturers, pointing up to God and telling them, “This side is roasted; turn and eat it.”
In his endeavor to rival painting with sculpture, Bernini became a master of creating movement with stone. He did this by considering how light reflects off marble and carving accordingly to create areas of shadow and reflection in the stone. This technique is particularly effective in the way Bernini creates the appearance of a flickering flame throughout the coals upon which Lawrence rests.
Bernini makes the fire appear soft and waxy, while Saint Lawrence’s body glistens to reflect light. Of course, the flames are also symbolic and remind us that the fire of Lawrence’s love for Christ ultimately conquered the fire of his torturers.
A master of theatrical staging, Bernini either sketched or made the gilded wooden pedestal on which the statue is presented. The wood's gold flame-like appearance highlights the motif of the fire of divine love.
After sculpting Lawrence, Bernini quickly ascended artistic ranks to become the “captain of Baroque Rome,” changing the city's landscape forever. Bernini loved the city so much, he hardly ever left. One time, Bernini traveled to France to sculpt King Louis XIV and the whole time he complained about being away, saying that “Paris was worth less than a painting by the Italian artist Guido Reni.”
Perhaps part of Bernini’s devotion to his patron saint was tied to his devotion to Rome. Saint Lawrence is one of the city’s patron saints.
Although many remember Saint Lawrence’s joke, it is often forgotten that his dying words were a prayer for the Eternal City— that she would be converted from paganism. It’s fair to say Bernini continued his patron saint’s legacy by using his artistic genius to convert souls to the Catholic faith.
He was a man of Devine talent without a doubt. His I believe, was the only intellect to rival that of Da Vinci.
I do believe that this sculpture by Bernini was made out of love and respect for his patron in heaven.