Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, was carved by Bernini, one of the leading Baroque sculptors of the Roman school. It's a deliberately intense work of Christian art, its an example of the Counter-Reformation style of Baroque sculpture, to convey spiritual aspects of the Catholic faith. The work depicts an episode of "religious ecstasy"in the life of the cloistered Spanish mystic and Carmelite nun- Teresa of Avila (1515-1582). Despite its statue as a key work of religious art, critics of the work are divided as to weather Teresa is experiencing an intense state of divine joy, or a physical orgasm.
Bernini, who was the leading sculptor of his time in Rome worked on the sculpture fro 1647 to 1652, during the reign of the Pamphili Pope, Innocent X (1644-55). Essentially, Bernini designed the chapel as a theater for his sculpture. The latter is a set in a niche above and behind the altar, flanked by pairs of marble columns. It is theatrically illuminated by beams of natural light from a hidden window overhead. This natural light reflects off a sheaf of vertical gilt bronze shafts behind the sculpture, sculpted to resemble the rays of the sun. High above, the ceiling of the Chapel is frescoed with trompe L'oeil images of a sky filled with cherubs.
The sculpture of Saint Teresa consists of two figures, sculpted in white marble. Teresa is shown lying on a cloud, and an angel standing above her, holding a golden spear pointed at Teresa's heart. To represent the true intensity of Teresa's experience, Bernini shows her swooning in near erotic rapture, with eyes closed and mouth open, and both her visible limbs. The ruffled, heavy drapery of her clothing adds to the movement and drama of the scene, and the texture of the fabric contrasts with the purity of her face. The child like angel looks lovingly at Teresa as he prepares to pierce her heart with spear of divine love, completing her mystical union with God.
Source : A Companion to Roman Architecture, Edited by Ulrich and Quenemoem
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