Neptune and Triton
Dublin Core
Title
Neptune and Triton
Subject
Bernini's mythological sculpture depicting Neptune and Triton after a deluge.
Description
The breathtaking “Neptune and Triton” was completed by Bernini in 1622-3. It was commissioned by Alessandro Damascenti-Peretti Montalto. The sculpture was intended to be the focal point of his large fish pond at his villa.
The sculpture is a dynamic piece that portrays the powerful Neptune and Triton. Neptune stands, holding his trident. Below him, we see Triton who blows on his conch to communicate to the four corners of the world. The figures' bodies are curved and have a commanding presence that dominates the space. The muscular figures underscore these gods’ power as they’re taking control of the deadly seas. Bernini portrays their movement as highly energetic which is communicated by the twisting, opposing directions of the two muscular bodies. Neptune’s cloak swirls in a playful motion as well. Many scholars have even pointed out that the end of the cloak takes on the form of a dolphin.
The work follows Ovid’s depiction of a Roman myth in which Jupiter vows to destroy life on Earth. He calls out Neptune to create a flood, leading him to strike the earth with his trident and release a deluge. After the flood, Neptune calls Triton to blow his conch as a signal for the seas to calm. The dolphin imagery in the sculpture also harks back to Ovid’s passage in which it states that dolphins were seen romping in the wood at the beginning of the deluge. Furthermore, this imagery of transforming cloak and flesh further underscores Bernini’s metamorphosis themes. The cloak in a way metamorphoses into a marine animal.
Interestingly, it can’t be neglected that this deluge story alludes to the biblical story of the Great Flood. Again we see how many of Bernini’s mythological works connect in some way to the biblical themes he would explore in his later works.
The sculpture is a dynamic piece that portrays the powerful Neptune and Triton. Neptune stands, holding his trident. Below him, we see Triton who blows on his conch to communicate to the four corners of the world. The figures' bodies are curved and have a commanding presence that dominates the space. The muscular figures underscore these gods’ power as they’re taking control of the deadly seas. Bernini portrays their movement as highly energetic which is communicated by the twisting, opposing directions of the two muscular bodies. Neptune’s cloak swirls in a playful motion as well. Many scholars have even pointed out that the end of the cloak takes on the form of a dolphin.
The work follows Ovid’s depiction of a Roman myth in which Jupiter vows to destroy life on Earth. He calls out Neptune to create a flood, leading him to strike the earth with his trident and release a deluge. After the flood, Neptune calls Triton to blow his conch as a signal for the seas to calm. The dolphin imagery in the sculpture also harks back to Ovid’s passage in which it states that dolphins were seen romping in the wood at the beginning of the deluge. Furthermore, this imagery of transforming cloak and flesh further underscores Bernini’s metamorphosis themes. The cloak in a way metamorphoses into a marine animal.
Interestingly, it can’t be neglected that this deluge story alludes to the biblical story of the Great Flood. Again we see how many of Bernini’s mythological works connect in some way to the biblical themes he would explore in his later works.
Creator
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini
Source
Collier, William. “New Light on Bernini’s Neptune and Triton.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 31 (1968): 438–40. https://doi.org/10.2307/750654.
Victoria and Albert Museum, Online Museum. “Bernini's Neptune and Triton.” 'Neptune and Triton' by Gianlorenzo Bernini. Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL. Telephone +44 (0)20 7942 2000. Email vanda@vam.ac.uk, August 22, 2013. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/n/berninis-neptune-and-triton/.
Wilkins, Ann Thomas. “Bernini and Ovid: Expanding the Concept of Metamorphosis.” International Journal of the Classical Tradition 6, no. 3 (2000): 383–408. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30222585.
Victoria and Albert Museum, Online Museum. “Bernini's Neptune and Triton.” 'Neptune and Triton' by Gianlorenzo Bernini. Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL. Telephone +44 (0)20 7942 2000. Email vanda@vam.ac.uk, August 22, 2013. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/n/berninis-neptune-and-triton/.
Wilkins, Ann Thomas. “Bernini and Ovid: Expanding the Concept of Metamorphosis.” International Journal of the Classical Tradition 6, no. 3 (2000): 383–408. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30222585.
Publisher
Albert Museum
Date
1622-23
Contributor
Sofia Silvosa
Format
182.2 cm
Type
Marble Sculpture
Coverage
Victoria and Albert Museum of London
Files
Collection
Citation
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, “Neptune and Triton,” ARTHIST 256 - Italian Baroque Art - Fall 2021, accessed October 22, 2026, https://www.baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/items/show/263.