03 — ARTWORK
Bust of Alexander VII
- MEDIUM
- Bronze, height 100 cm
- TYPE
- Portrait
PALETTE
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THIS REPRODUCTION
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CURRENT LOCATION · Metropolitan Museum of Art
- FILE
- 1368 × 1600 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
Papal portraiture followed conventions similar to those for portraits of other rulers, although a few changes from the examples of the late sixteenth century are apparent. Bernini and Algardi favoured a fuller treatment of the torso, extending down to the fringe of a short 'mozzetta', embellished by a stole in which the papal arms often figured. Movement was suggested by deep folds in the cape and was accompanied by a benevolently resolute gaze, as in the imposing mid-seventeenth century example of the bust of Alexander VII (Fabio Chigi), who reigned from 1655 to 1667.
The boldly incised signature "Melchior Cafa Melitensis," respectfully hidden behind the back, underscores the sculptor's pride in his one known portraitThe Roman portrait bust survived in the form of life-sized reliquaries of saints, but it was in 15th century Florence that the individual features and character of a contemporary sitter were accurately recorded by sculptors such as Donatello, Desiderio da Settignano, Mino da Fiesole and the Rossellino. A similar degree of realism occurs in 15th century tomb sculpture. The equestrian portrait, based on antique statues such as the Marcus Aurelius monument (Rome, Campidoglio), was revived in the 14th century. Two examples in fresco are Simone Martini's Guidoriccio (c. 1328; Siena, Palazzo Pubblico) and the posthumous portrait of Sir John Hawkwood (1436; Florence, Cathedral) by Uccello, which gives the illusion of a 3-dimensional statue seen from below. The Venetian Republic ordered imposing monuments from Donatello (1447; Gattarnelata, Padua) and Verrocchio (14799; Colleoni, Venice), whilst other statesmen ordered their own images to be erected in public places, directly relating themselves to the military heroes of ancient Rome. Another form of political portraiture derived from antiquity was the commemorative portrait medal designed by artists such as Pisanello. The carved or painted profile portrait became popular in the 1450s. The realism of the clear, flattened image, painted under the influence of Flemish examples by the Pollaiuolo brothers, Piero della Francesca and Botticelli, was superseded by the three-quarter and frontal portrait, psychologically more complex, such as Leonardo's enigmatic Mona Lisa (Paris, Louvre) with her momentary smile or Andrea del Sarto's arresting Portrait of a Man (London, National Gallery). The 16th century portrait became generalized, Lotto's Andrea Odoni (1527; Royal Collection) being an idealized concept of a collector rather than an individual. Group portraits, decorating whole rooms, include the narrative scenes of the Gonzaga court painted by Mantegna (completed 1474; Mantua, Palazzo Ducale) and the elaborate schemes commissioned by the Farnese family in Rome from Vasari (1546; Palazzo della Cancelleria) and Salviati (after 1553; Palazzo Farnese). Portraits were also incorporated into religious narratives, as in Ghirlandaio's fresco cycle painted for Giovanni Tornabuoni in S. Maria Novella, Florence (1486-90). bust. It also bears witness to his nationality ("Melitensis" means from Malta) and to the spelling of his surname, Italianized from "Gafa," upon his arrival in Rome, possibly in 1652.
There is another cast of the bust in Siena CathedralThe principal church of a province or diocese, where the throne of the bishop is placed. For reasons lost to time and tradition, a cathedral always faces west - toward the setting sun. The altar is placed at the east end. The main body, or nave, of the cathedral is usually divided into one main and two side aisles. These lead up to the north and south transepts, or arms of the cross, the shape in which a cathedral is usually formed.) coming from the same mold, with only slight differences in the finishing of the wax models and facture of the bronzeAn alloy of copper (usually about 90 per cent) and tin, often also containing small amounts of other metals such as lead or zinc. Since antiquity it has been the metal most commonly used in cast sculpture because of its strength, durability, and the fact that it is easily workable - both hot and cold - by a variety of processes. It is easier to cast than copper because it has a lower melting-point, and its great tensile strength makes possible the protrusion of unsupported parts - an advantage over marble sculpture. The colour of bronze is affected by the proportion of tin or other metals present, varying from silverish to a rich, coppery red, and its surface beauty can be enhanced when it acquires a patina. cast. The bust in Siena was the first cast commissioned by the sitter, the second cast in New York was commissioned for another member of the Chigi family.
OTHER WORKS BY MELCHIORRE CAFÀ
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r2006f8ea697c47,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Bust of Alexander VII by CAFÀ, Melchiorre},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-14},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/caf-melchiorre-r2883a648ecc254/bust-of-alexander-vii-r2006f8ea697c47},
urldate = {2026-09-14},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-14. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.