Page 62 - GUIDO RENI 2017

© The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Fig. 8a. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Bust of Pope Paul V. Fig. 8b. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Pope Paul V c. 1618,
J.Paul Getty Museum. Rome, Villa Borghese.

namely, his robust and youthful appeara­ nce as well as his commanding presence. At this time Reni was
executing The Crucifixion of St. Peter for Cardinal Aldobrandini and the Christ at the Column and later the Saint
Cecilia for Sfondrato.30 He had recently painted the portraits of Clement VIII and Cardinal Sfondrato. Under
these circ­ umstances, it would appear very likely that Reni would have been the choice of Camillo Borghese
(or whoever advised him, for he himself was untutored in art) to produce at short notice a formal portrait to
support his own impressive claim to be ‘papabile’.

30 Pepper, op. cit., 1984, nos. 16, 17 and 24.

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