One of the greatest joys of travelling is seeing the unique treasures housed in the museums and art galleries of the world. When heading to the Netherlands—specifically Amsterdam, in this case—the Rijksmuseum is almost always on the top list of things to see in the city.
And who could blame travellers? Here you’ll find numerous Rembrandts, including the world-famous Night Watch; Johannes Vermeer’s iconic Milkmaid; and even the awe-inspiring tulipiere known as the De Metaale Pot. Now, however, Amsterdam’s main art gallery has added a new masterpiece to its collection: a terracotta model by the 17th century Italian artist, Bernini.
On permanent loan from a private collector, the model shows Triton, the Greek god of the sea, standing on a shell. It is fashioned out of terracotta and was used as a model for the Triton sculpture that was commissioned by the Pope to crown the Fontana del Moro in Piazza Navona in Rome. In fact, the fountain is named specifically after this sculpture as the statue’s features reminded passers by of a Moor (Moro).
The model, while obviously extremely valuable, actually hid in plain sight for many years. Believed to have been part of Cardinal Flavio Chigi’s estate, who was a representative of the Pope and had personal contact with Bernini, the statue ended up being painted over in many layers of dark paint, masking its true qualities and identity. It wasn’t until 2018, when this paint was removed, that the Bernini’s signature characteristics were once again revealed to the world and the statue reclaimed its place in art history.
The Triton sculpture was first exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in 2020 as part of a Caravaggio-Bernini exhibition. Now, however, the statue has its own space in the gallery where visitors from across the globe can feast their eyes on it whenever they want!
For more information about the statue, as well as the opening hours, you can visit the official Rijksmuseum website.
