Truth Unveiled by Time (Bernini)

Galleria Borghese A personal work rather than a commission, made after his bell tower for St. Peter's was torn down in 1646, one of the worst blows of his career. Truth sits holding a small sun in one hand, with a globe under her foot, but the figure of Time who was meant to unveil her was never realized. Bernini kept the statue in his own house, mentioned it in his will, and it reached the Borghese only in 1924. That history makes it a revealing contrast with the polished early groups in the same building. Give it a few minutes once you have seen the big three, rather than spending your slot on it first.