... participated in the decoration of the Barberini Chapel at Sant' Andrea della Valle, he would have had an experienced hand in matters of structure, embellishment, and applied decoration. These skills earned him important commissions like the renovations of the high altar of Santa Bibiana and the design of the crossing at St. Peter's. These acclaimed triumphs led to the unification of the arts seen in the chapels of the 1640's and 50's, which T.A Marder believes to be his chief contribution to Western art. The concept of unifying the arts is known as bel composto or maraviglioso composto. These terms were mentioned specifically in the contemporary biographies of Filippo Baldinucci and Domenico Bernini. They refer to Bernini's unique ability to unite architecture, painting and sculpture 'to create a new genre in which the concepts of all three arts are conjoined to compelling effect'.2 Before we discuss ways in which ...

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