An iconic elephant statue by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the centre of Rome was damaged on Monday night, art officials said on Tuesday.
The Elephant and Obelisk, unveiled in 1667, stands in Piazza della Minerva, next to the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Officials said one of the elephant’s tusks was broken.
The sculpture, which depicts a small elephant carrying an ancient Egyptian obelisk on its back, is one of the best-loved monuments in the Italian capital.
Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli condemned the damage, calling it “unacceptable”. “Just days before the inauguration of the major exhibition on Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the Palazzo Barberini, his Elephant in Piazza della Minerva was targeted,” Giuli said.
He added that the Ministry of Culture, through Rome’s Special Superintendency, would support the Capitoline Superintendency in restoring the monument. The statue, he said, was “one of the most significant symbols of the capital, struck by an absurd act of barbarity”.
Bernini and the elephant statue
Bernini, one of the leading figures of the Roman Baroque, is best known for monumental works such as Apollo and Daphne and The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. He also carried out major architectural projects for the papacy. His work characterises movement, theatricality and a close relationship between sculpture, space and viewer.
Pope Alexander VII commissioned the Elephant and Obelisk to support a small obelisk discovered near the church. Bernini designed the overall concept. However, his studio executed the carving. The unusual pairing reflects a symbolic idea popular at the time: the elephant, seen as a creature of strength and wisdom, bears the weight of ancient knowledge represented by the obelisk.
Often nicknamed “Pulcino” by Romans, the statue has long been admired for its wit as well as its craftsmanship, standing apart from Bernini’s more dramatic religious works.
An investigation into the damage is under way, as restoration experts assess how best to repair the sculpture.
