BERNINI, Luigi

Sculptor and engineer, brother of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. He was first trained in sculpture by his father Pietro Bernini and then by his brother. His earliest work is one of a pair of marble angels for Sant’Agostino, Rome (1628; completed by Giuliano Finelli). He also carved the stemme and Barberini sun on the Barcaccia Fountain (1627-29) in the Piazza di Spagna, Rome, a collaboration with his father and brother.

Throughout his life Luigi worked closely with his brother, playing an increasingly important role in Gian Lorenzo’s studio as his commissions multiplied. He was particularly active in St Peter’s, where he carved the figure (except for the head) of the Countess Matilda and a putto on the right side of her tomb. He also carved the relief above the statue of St Helena in the crossing and was active in the decoration of the choir and the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

Luigi, in addition to his sculptural activities, studied architecture, mathematics and mechanics and was particularly knowledgeable in hydraulic engineering. Equally notable were the ingenious machines he designed for St Peter’s. One, a movable scaffold 18 m high, permitted easy access to high places throughout the church. He also invented devices for pulling cartloads of stone, for setting the stones of the colonnade in place, and an iron steelyard 4 m long capable of weighing up to 16,300 kg. This device was used to weigh the bronze statues of the Cathedra Petri. In 1665 he oversaw work at St Peter’s and the Palazzo Chigi while Gian Lorenzo was in Paris.