Alessandro Algardi

Trained in Bologna, Algardi was well grounded in draughtsmanship and working from the life, before becoming a pupil of the sculptor Giulio Cesare Conventi. At 22, he received commissions from Duke Ferdinand I of Mantua, these early ivories and bronzes now lost. He also began to work in stucco and terracotta and produced small objects in gold, silver and ivory for goldsmiths and jewellers. Algardi went to Rome 1625 and with introduction to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi who employed him to restore antique sculpture. His first public statue was for San Silvestro (1629), though it took a decade to become established with Bernini in the ascendency. From 1634, the Prince of Sunomi commissioned small bronzes and silver pieces. The Tomb of Pope Leo XI (1634-44) was a key commission and led to a series of religious subjects, such as The Ecstasy of St Philip Neri (1638), Beheading of St Paul (1647) and Pope Leo Driving Attila from Rome (c.1646-53) which established his reputation. While some compositions echo Bernini, Algardi aimed for more impressive effects, with a classical grandeur, rather than emphasising his virtuosity in carving daring figures and drapery. He was also a celebrated life-size portraitist in marble, bronze and terracotta, capturing the fleeting expression and figure as if in movement. Under Innocent X he was also involved in architectural designs. He had a large studio and half a dozen identified pupils.