Bust of Cardinal Scipione Borghese by Finelli in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2014

Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577–1633)

Artist:Giuliano Finelli (Italian, Carrara 1601–1653 Rome)

Date:1631–32

Culture:Italian, Rome

Medium:Marble

Dimensions:Overall (confirmed): H. 32 1/4 x W. 30 7/8 x D. 16 in., Wt. 333lb. (81.9 x 78.4 x 40.6 cm, 151.0478kg); Overall height including socle (confirmed): 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm); Pedestal: H. 48 1/4 x Circum. 11 3/4 x W. 17 x D. 17 in. (122.6 x 29.8 x 43.2 x 43.2 cm)

Classification:Sculpture

Credit Line:Purchase, Louisa Eldridge McBurney Gift, 1953

Accession Number:53.201

Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577–1633) was the influential nephew of Pope Paul V and an enthusiastic and refined art collector. A document of 1632 records the payment to Finelli for this portrait bust, originally intended for the Villa Borghese in Rome. Finelli was a pupil of Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) and a sculptor known for his remarkable skill at carving marble.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/201593