Bernini: Neapolitan? Florentine? Roman?

–Louis Rouhier engraving of Obeliscus Pamphilius [commemorating the unveiling June 1651 in San Juan book, p. 209, fig 6.10; also in Houghton; cfr scheda] calls him “Gio: Lorenzo Bernino Napoletano” despite years of B’s own Tuscan mythologizing and over 40 years in Rome! 

— in B’s will, calls self “fiorentino & cittadino romano” (Fagiolo/IAP10); actually it is in Latin and in a separate doc ancillary to will in wh B cedes some of his benefices to Francesco: BALQ 53.

–Barsanti ’74 article, “Ancora sul Furini,” cites doc wh says something to effect of “B the neapolitan, or, as he would have it, Florentine” (“Napoletano, o Fiorentino come egli vuole”) (Barsanti, 1974, 3rd art, p. 56 citing Passeri, Vite, Leipzig, 1934, 169): the foregoing quote from Passeri was 1st cited by Haskell, 1980, 34, but the quote is not in Passeri: I checked and checked. So, I simply cited Haskell in my Note 9 to Dom chap 1.

— Bernini as Neapolitan: Baldinucci, 1974-75, 6:362-67: “Nota de’ pittori, scultori et architetti che dall’anno 1640 sino al presente giorno hanno operato lodevolmente nella città e Regno di Napoli.” basically a list with scarse bio data. on p. 363: simply: “Il cavaliere Bernino.”

— B’s satirical comedy of Feb. ’35 is set in Naples (“Le Due Accademie”): NB. one of the few references to B’s hometown in his life & work: he never had any works commissioned down there or sent there!

–BALQ 53: at beg of a legal doc in wh B transfers one of his eccles. benefices to his son Francesco Giuseppe, GLB is identified as “Illustrissimus Dominus Eques Joannis Laurentius Berninus florentinus et civis romanus”.

— Rice, 2015, 190, n.34 (The Pre-Mochi Projects…): an entry in the Archivio Capitolare di San Pietro recording the fact of the full-scale model of Bernini’s preliminary (rejected) design for new Veronica Pier says this “…(inventore Equite Io. Laurentio Bernino Florentino Neapolitano)…” — ie, the Florentino is crossed out with one stroke as here..

Bernini’s siblings

B’s siblings in order given by Fagiolo/IAP 18 but with mistakes: Terzaghi prints 1609 parish Easter census which gives most of their ages; reprinted by Kessler 2005

6 males:  Giovan Lorenzo, Francesco, Vincenzo, Ignazio, Luigi, Domenico

7? females: Dorotea, Beatrice, Eugenia [d. 1669 Bartoni 2012, 108; named after Caterina’s mom, as per note in Chantelou, e.143], Giuditta, Camilla, [Maria Angelica, Anna Maria: wrong: see your Dom note.] + Agnese (died 1609, Oct: eldest).

–NB on this census there is no “c” (“communicato”) next to Pietro’s name: that means he had not fulfilled his Easter duty (of confession and Holy Communion): not a practicing Catholic?