Habakkuk and the Angel (Bernini)
Habakkuk and the Angel is a sculpture made of marble in the style of High Baroque in Rome . It was made in the years 1655–1661 by the sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680). A preliminary study in the form of a 52 cm high terracotta sculpture is in the Museo Sacro in the Vatican .
The sculpture was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII for the family grave of the Chigi-Albani family . It has since been located in the Chigi Chapel ( Cappella Chigi ) of the Santa Maria del Popolo church building in Rome, along with three other statues . All four statues represent prophets, Habakkuk and Daniel by Bernini, and Jonah and Elijah by Lorenzetto .
It depicts the biblical story Bel and the dragon : Habakkuk in Judea has made a porridge and goes to the field to distribute it to the reapers. An angel appears, pulls him by the hair and carries him to Babylon to bring food to Daniel, who is trapped in the lions' den, and thus to save him from death ( Dan 14.33-39 EU ). In the image, Habakkuk is sitting on a stone and looking up at the angel, he is holding a bag of food in his left hand.
Trivia
The statue plays a role in Dan Brown's novel Illuminati .