A self-portrait of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), an Italian artist, architect, and sculptor who is credited with creating the Baroque style of sculpture. He received commissions for sculptures at an early age from Cardinal Scipione Borghese and soon rose to prominence under the patronage of Popes Gregory XV, Urban VIII, and Alexander VII. His artistic pre-eminence meant he was able to secure the most important commission in the Rome of his day, St. Peter's Basilica, as well as the adjoining Piazza San Pietro. He fell from favour in later neoclassical criticism of the Baroque, but art historians in the 19th century and onwards have restored his artistic reputation.