Bernini and the Idealization of Death

Bernini and the Idealization of Death, Volume 1, examines the artistic and iconographic contributions of Gian Lorenzo Bernini within the Altieri Chapel. This work of art criticism and interpretation focuses on the statue of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, tracing the history of her cult and the chapel's design. Shelley Perlove analyzes how Bernini utilized Counter-Reformation in art principles to create a unified conception of spiritual experience.

The text explores the sculpture through the lens of portraits and medieval and Renaissance tomb sculpture. By referencing devotional Catholic literature and contemporary accounts of Ludovica's life, the author provides a detailed study of the beata's experience. This scholarly analysis integrates the statue with other elements of the Altieri Chapel to reveal a complex, layered iconographic scheme.