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Boston College, Chestnut Hill MA.
When admiring an artistic portrait, one seldom takes the time to inquire into the life and character of the individual portrayed. However, Sarah McPhee did just this in her lecture, "Devouring Marble: Bernini and his portrait of Costanza,...#8226; last week in Devlin Hall.
McPhee, who is the author of Bernini's Beloved: A Portrait of Constanza Piccolomini, delved deeply into the inner and outer life of one of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's favorite women.
A lot of mystery revolves around Costanza Piccolomini, also know as Costanza Bonarelli, and different historians have defined her differently. Born in Viterbo, Italy, from a family of modest background, she lived in Rome for most of her life and became educated and literate.
Costanza was the unfaithful wife of the sculptor Matteo Bonarelli, one of Bernini's assistants. She became Bernini's mistress during a love affair that began in 1636 and...