GUIDI, Domenico

Andromeda in Greek mythology, princess of Ethiopia, daughter of King Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and Cassiopeia. According to most legends Cassiopeia angered Poseidon by saying that Andromeda (or possibly Cassiopeia herself) was more beautiful than the nereids. Poseidon sent a sea monster to prey upon the country; he could be appeased only by the sacrifice of the king’s daughter. Andromeda in sacrifice was chained to a rock by the sea; but she was rescued by Perseus, who killed the monster and later married her. Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Andromeda were all set among the stars as constellations.

While this story inspired sculptors, it has most frequently been represented by painters including Titian and Rubens. Guidi’s marble group shows a pictorial quality which is evident in the landscape setting.

Towards the end of his life, Bernini designed the angels on the Ponte Sant’Angelo in Rome, carried out by his extraordinary team of assistants: Antonio Raggi, Ercole Ferrata, Antonio Giorgetti, Domenico Guidi, Paolo Naldini, Cosimo Fancelli, Giulio Cartari and Lazzaro Morelli were the faithful executors of his idea as “producer”. The recital of the choir of the Passion takes place against the sky because the angels stand on high pedestal, and in conjunction with water because the parapets of the bridge are in the open work, with railings formed of ropes of twisted bronze, so made to put the pilgrim in a new situation. The dance of the angels, immersed in the natural elements and in the historical setting (sky and dome of St Peter’s, water and Castel Sant’Angelo), becomes the crystallization of an ephemeral procession.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 4 minutes):

C�sar Franck: Panis angelicus

King Louis XIV did not like the equestrian statue he had commissioned from Bernini for the Orangery. The place in the Orangery destined for Bernini’s equestrian statue was taken by Domenico Guidi’s Fame, a typically Baroque work.

Domenico Guidi’s technique, indeed his overall approach to sculpture, appears to have been that of mass production. He worked as quickly as possible, according to a predetermined set of criteria, and was thus able to execute many works within a relatively short period. This formulaic approach allowed for little stylistic development, and an examination of one piece can provide an account of Guidi’s style for nearly half a century. His studio produced a vast amount of statuary, including monumental reliefs and centrepieces, papal tombs such as that of Clement IX in Santa Maria Maggiore. This was executed to Carlo Rainaldi’s composition with the papal figure carved by Domenico Guidi.

Domenico Guidi’s studio was active in Rome and it alternately cooperated and competed with Ercole Ferrata’s studio. Guidi produced a few works for Bernini (such as the Angel with a Lance on Ponte Sant’Angelo), however, most of his collaborative work was with Algardi.

The group of the Vision of St Joseph is the derivative pendant of Bernini’s famous Ecstasy of St Teresa in the Cornaro Chapel of the same church.