A Marine God with a Dolphin

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

1652–1653

Black chalk, Chalk

J. Paul Getty Museum

A sketch in black and white chalk depicts a mythological figure with a dolphin. The figure appears to be a cherub or putto with wings, and the dolphin is shown with its tail curled upwards. Tilting backwards on a perilous pile of rocks, a marine god wrestles with the dolphin perched on his shoulders. Quick, curving lines and rough shading fill the drawing with vibrant movement: the dolphin in particular seethes with energy. Gian Lorenzo Bernini swiftly outlined the shapes of the rock formations as well as those of the marine god and dolphin. Using some blunt tool, perhaps even his thumb or finger, he softly smudged the lines to create the shadows that form the contorted pose of the god's muscular torso. Between 1652 and 1653, Bernini sent studies for fountains to Duke Francesco I d'Este for his palace. Other craftsmen