Bernini's Elephant

Bernini's Elephant Carrying an Obelisk is one of the most curious monuments in Rome, despite it's small size. The Egyptian obelisk was found in the garden of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (behind the monument) during the reign of Pope Alexander VII. Fascinated by the obscure inscriptions, Alexander VII hired Athanasius Kircher, a famous Egyptologist and Jesuit scholar, to interpret the symbols. Kircher found that the inscriptions referenced sunlight, and Bernini was hired to erect a monument in front of the church, incorporating the obelisk. It was completed in 1667. This was the last work Bernini and his assistants undertook for Alexander VII.

The small Egyptian obelisk rests on the back of a nearly life size baby elephant who stands still on a tall, narrow pedestal. The elephant's trunk reaches back to touch the elaborate saddle that carries the obelisk. In 1630, the first elephant in 100 years visited Rome. Bernini was able to conduct a careful study of the creature. It is because of this experience that Bernini was able to sculpt such a realistic elephant. Elephants were extremely rare in the West during the Seventeenth century, most people only knew of the animals through stories. On top of the obelisk are the symbols from the Chigi family crest, the Tuscan hills and the Chigi star, topped with by the Cross of Jesus Christ. The tapestry draped on the elephant's back also bares Alexander VII's crest.

Alexander VII considered the monument a glorification of his reign. The elephant is a traditional symbol of wisdom and strength, while sunlight symbolizes divine enlightenment. The elephant (wisdom and strength) carries sunlight (divine enlightenment) on his back as a gift to the Pope. Alexander VII believed that the re-discovery of the obelisk during his reign was a symbol of his divine enlightenment. This monument is filled with contrast. There is a contrast between old and new; the ancient Egyptian obelisk and the rare, oriental elephant. There was a fascination with elephants during the Baroque because they were a new discovery that came from the East. There is also a clash between the Pagan and the Christian. A pagan obelisk is topped by Pope Alexander VII's crest and a cross; further the entire monument consisting primarily of an obelisk and an elephant, both non-Roman and non-Christian symbols, is located in the piazza of a church. 

Bernini conjures up incompatible contrasts to make a fluid statement: as a whole, the Elephant Obelisk Monument is a symbol of Pope Alexander VII's wisdom, strength, and divine enlightenment. It is a propaganda piece, commissioned by the Pope himself. It glorifies Alexander VII and implies his triumph over paganism. Obelisks in Rome typically serve as a link between earth and heaven, creating a powerful witness of spirituality. Together, the symbols in Bernini's Elephant Obelisk communicate the strength and enlightenment of the Pope. By using an elephant in this version of an equestrian monument, Bernini makes a radical rejection of our customary idea of triumph up until this time. The docile, subjugated, noble giant serves as a pictorial reminder of humanity's highest virtues. 

xx, E