"Baroque sculpture is the sculpture associated with the Baroque style of the period between the early 17th and mid-18th centuries."
This topic explores the role of sculpture and statuary in Baroque architecture, as well as the unique methods and techniques employed by Baroque sculptors.
Baroque art and architecture: An overview of the main characteristics of Baroque art and architecture, including its elaborate and dramatic style, dynamic lines, and ornamental details.
History of Baroque sculpture: A brief history of the development of Baroque sculpture, including its origins in Italy and its spread throughout Europe.
Materials and techniques of Baroque sculpture: An overview of the materials and techniques used in Baroque sculpture, including marble, bronze, and terra cotta, as well as the use of light and shadow to create dramatic effects.
Baroque sculptors: A review of the most important Baroque sculptors and their contributions to the style, including Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini, and Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.
Religious themes in Baroque sculpture: A look at the role of religion in Baroque sculpture, including the depiction of saints and biblical figures, and the use of sculpture as a means of religious expression.
Portraiture in Baroque sculpture: A discussion of the role of portraiture in Baroque sculpture, including the depiction of monarchs, nobles, and other prominent figures.
Public monuments and Baroque sculpture: An exploration of the use of Baroque sculpture in public monuments, including fountains, memorials, and triumphal arches.
Baroque sculpture outside of Europe: An overview of the spread of Baroque sculpture to other parts of the world, including the Americas and Asia.
Baroque sculpture and politics: A discussion of the role of Baroque sculpture in political symbolism and propaganda, including its use in royal and state propaganda.
Baroque sculpture and the modern era: An overview of the influence of Baroque sculpture on modern art and architecture, including its continuing relevance to contemporary design.
Baroque sculpture and gender: An examination of the role of gender in Baroque sculpture, including the depiction of women and femininity in sculptural forms.
Baroque sculpture and sexuality: An exploration of the use of sexuality and eroticism in Baroque sculpture, including depictions of nudity and sensuality in sculptural forms.
Baroque sculpture and social class: A discussion of the role of social class in Baroque sculpture, including the use of sculpture as a symbol of wealth and power.
Baroque sculpture and cultural identity: An examination of the way Baroque sculpture reflects cultural identity, including the influence of religion, politics, and nationality on the style.
Retablo: A monumental altarpiece that is commonly located at the back of the altar.
Polychrome Sculpture: A sculpture that is embellished with bright colors to create an illusion of clothing, realistic hair, and flesh tones.
Bust: A sculpture that portrays the head, shoulders, and upper torso of a person.
Group Sculpture: A sculptural arrangement that represents multiple figures.
Equestrian Statue: A sculpture that portrays a person riding a horse.
Portrait Sculpture: A sculpture that portrays a person's physical appearance.
Garden Sculpture: A sculpture that is placed in a garden or courtyard.
Decorative Sculpture: A sculptural ornament that is designed to enhance the interior or exterior of a building.
Monumental Sculpture: A sculpture that is proportionally larger than life-size.
Stucco Sculpture: A three-dimensional sculpture made from a mixture of plaster and glue.
Funerary Sculpture: A sculpture that is designed to commemorate the dead.
Statuette: A small sculpture that is no larger than 60 centimeters in height.
Fountains: An architectural water feature that often features a sculptural centerpiece.
"In Baroque sculpture, groups of figures assumed new importance, and there was a dynamic movement and energy of human forms."
"Baroque sculpture reflected a general continuation of the Renaissance move away from the relief to sculpture created in the round."
"Elaborate fountains such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi were a Baroque specialty."
"Bernini was the dominating figure of the age in works such as The Ecstasy of St Theresa."
"Much Baroque sculpture added extra-sculptural elements, for example, concealed lighting or water fountains, or fused sculpture and architecture to create a transformative experience for the viewer."
"Artists saw themselves in the classical tradition but admired Hellenistic and later Roman sculpture."
"Rome was the earliest center where the style was formed."
"The style spread to the rest of Europe, and especially France gave a new direction in the late 17th century."
"Baroque sculpture was succeeded by Rococo and Neoclassical Sculpture."
"The Protestant Reformation had brought an almost total stop to religious sculpture in much of Northern Europe."
"Partly in direct reaction, sculpture was as prominent in Catholicism as in the late Middle Ages."
"The Catholic Southern Netherlands saw a flourishing of Baroque sculpture starting from the second half of the 17th century."
"Flemish sculptors would play a prominent role in spreading the Baroque idiom abroad, including in the Dutch Republic, Italy, England, Sweden, and France."
"In the 18th century, much sculpture continued on Baroque lines—the Trevi Fountain was only completed in 1762."
"The Rococo style was better suited to smaller works."
"Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Rome, 1651)" and "The Ecstasy of St Theresa (1647–1652)."
"Baroque sculpture followed Renaissance and Mannerist sculpture."
"Eventually, it spread beyond Europe to the colonial possessions of the European powers, especially in Latin America and the Philippines."
"Flemish workshops produced a wide range of Baroque sculpture including church furniture, funeral monuments, and small-scale sculptures executed in ivory and durable woods such as boxwood."