Forensic anthropological analysis of a skull sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
2022; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 37; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/0268117x.2022.2033639
ISSN2050-4616
AutoresJames T. Pokines, Claudia Kryza-Gersch, Victoria S. Reed,
Tópico(s)Autopsy Techniques and Outcomes
ResumoThe recent re-discovery in Dresden, Germany, of a well-provenanced sculpted marble skull by Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680) allowed the first forensic anthropological examination of a work of this kind, comparable to those performed on biological skulls. The natural details conveyed included an overall natural and unstylized appearance, hollowed interior vault space, detailed anatomical structures, natural morphological variability and asymmetry, dental pathology, and postmortem changes common to real skulls. Morphological traits useful for ancestry estimation also were depicted in sufficient detail to allow standard scoring methods. Metrical and morphological analysis indicated that the skull was most consistent with an adult male individual of European ancestry, although up-scaling in overall size was estimated at around 10%. The authors conclude that Bernini used a biological skull as a model in order to achieve this level of anatomical detail, in contrast with many other skeletal depictions in Renaissance and Baroque sculpture.
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