Salvator Mundi

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Salvator Mundi, Savior of the World, is widely regarded as Gian Lorenzo Bernini's final masterpiece. The sculptor, driven by devotion to God, carved this breathtaking work just before his passing, describing it as his "Darling" upon completion. A majestic marble bust, it portrays Christ extending a benediction with his raised right hand, surrounded by flowing hair and a delicate face set against the softness of a draped mantle. This sublime sculpture was carefully positioned in a niche within the monastery of Saint Sebastian outside Rome's city walls, its location along the Via Appia Antica rendering it nearly invisible to the naked eye. However, thanks to a series of fortunate coincidences, art historians were able to identify it as Bernini's Salvator Mundi in August 2001. As one of the most celebrated artists of his time, Bernini was renowned for his mastery over the grandiose and the sublime. His work continues to captivate audiences with its sheer scale and emotional depth. As Claudio Strinati, a leading expert on seventeenth-century Rome and Superintendent of the city's Artistic and Historical Heritage, notes, "Bernini brings his extraordinary existence to a close in a state of serene contemplation." It is no surprise that he would create this stunning bust of Christ as an expression of his devotion.