\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 With Cardinal Antonio Barberini acting as a go-between, the French cardinal Richelieu asked Gianlorenzo Bernini to carve his portrait.
The bust was made between the fall of 1640 and the summer of 1641, and was taken to Paris by assistants from BerniniÆs studio. Although it was noted that the work did not actually resemble Richelieu at all, Bernini was rewarded with great praise and gra
titude. The measurements of the bust, cut off well below the shoulders to allow the artist to emphasize his subjectÆs breast and part of his clothing, is typical of the famous Roman sculptorÆs portraits. BerniniÆs great capacity to express the most profo
und spirituality of the baroque era and to capture, in the expressions on the faces of his figures, the psychological depth of their characters and the intensity of their inner thoughts is apparent in this work too. The expressiveness of the face is very
great, with its austere and intense gaze, underlined by the hard and sharp lines of the nose and chin. Above the high and severe forehead, the hair is clumped into small locks, finely carved in the marble, and falls softly at the sides of the head. Bern
iniÆs virtuoso skill in working material is still more evident in the way the marble has been carved to represent the clothing: in the stiff and impeccable collar of the shirt, as well as in the soft folds of the cloak, which curve to catch and reflect t
