The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa is a sculpture by which early Baroque Italian sculptor?

• A. Gian Lorenzo Bernini
• B. Alessandro Algardi
• C. Andrea del Verrocchio
• D. Donatello

Answer: (A)

This sculpture captures the Baroque mood through motion, emotional intensity, and the drama of viewing space. It was created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a leading Italian sculptor who helped define the Roman Baroque, with the work finished in the mid-17th century for the Cornaro Chapel in Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome. Saint Teresa is shown in a moment of ecstatic yield, the figures arranged to funnel the viewer’s gaze toward the interaction of sculpture, architectural niche, and dramatic lighting from above. The whole scene is crafted to be read in a single glance from the chapel entrance, pulling the observer into the moment and emphasizing spiritual experience as theater. This integration of form, space, and light is a signature move of Bernini and a hallmark of early Baroque sculpture. The other artists listed belong to earlier periods or different sculptural sensibilities: Donatello and Verrocchio are Renaissance masters known for steadier, more restrained lines, while Algardi, though a Baroque sculptor, produced work that tends to be more subdued in drama.