Corpus donated to Canadian gallery

Posted by Jennifer Yap Jan 11, 2007

This morning, a bronze sculpture of a crucified Christ by 17th-century Italian master Gian Lorenzo Bernini was donated to Canada’s Art Gallery of Ontario by real estate developer and AGO board member Murray Frum.

Regarded as a long-lost masterpiece, this “Corpus” is one of three versions created by the Baroque architect and sculptor, and was the one he made for himself.

Born in Naples, Bernini worked extensively in Rome on parts of St. Peter’s Basicila, and designed the Fountain of the Triton, the Fountain of the Bees, the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) and the Ecstasy of St. Theresa.

The CAD$50 million sculpture is set to be displayed by summer 2007 in Toronto.

You can read the CBC's detailed news article and view a photo of the sculpture here or visit the AGO's blog announcing the donation here.