Postille sulla fortuna settecentesca di Bernini. Alcuni inediti disegni di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale

As a key figure in the artistic development of Rome during the Baroque age, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) radically renewed the architecture of his time. His cultural circle – headed after his death by his pupil Carlo Fontana (1638-1714) – continued his research between the end of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, improving the master’s design achievements by experimenting with new solutions based on his masterpieces. Among these, the Roman church of Sant’Andrea al Quirinale had great resonance, as certified by some unpublished surveys of its façade that are now part of the Lanciani Collection kept at the National Institute of Archaeology and Art History in Rome. The aim of this paper is to reflect on Bernini’ s fortune in light of these discoveries.

Personaggio preminente della Roma barocca, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) innovò profondamente la cultura artista del suo tempo. La sua cerchia – capeggiata dopo la sua scomparsa da Carlo Fontana (1638-1714) – portò avanti fra la fine del Seicento e la prima metà del Settecento le sue ricerche, rielaborando intuizioni ed esiti delle sperimentazioni del maestro. E fra queste, grande risonanza ebbe anche la chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, come certificano alcuni studi sulla sua facciata parte della Collezione Lanciani conservata presso l’Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte di Roma.