From about the age of nine, Cicognara left Ferrara to study in Modena. He stayed there until he was eighteen, then "escaped" to Rome.
Rome at that time was Bernini's Rome, just as, when Bernini had arrived in Rome with his father, it had belonged to Caravaggio. Almost every church held a masterpiece by Caravaggio.
The Fountain of the Four Rivers, the bronze baldachin in St. Peter's Basilica, and even St. Peter's Square itself had all been designed by Bernini.
Many said Michelangelo's works gave sculpture divinity, while Bernini's were renowned for pursuing desire. The stone they touched seemed to acquire a pulsing life.
The Pietà did not depict a living body. Whether it was Moses or David, one could closely observe their muscles and veins. David's veins bulged because he was exerting force. There was a depression on Moses's right forearm, caused by the extensor of the little finger; it appeared only when the little finger was raised. Yet there was no trace of exertion on the corpse in the Pietà. This reflected Michelangelo's knowledge of anatomy.
The Rape of Persephone was sculpted by Bernini. He gave marble the texture of flesh and blood, clearly carving the details of Persephone's skin sinking beneath Hades's forceful grip. The "flesh" he portrayed was not Michelangelo's almost scientific description. When people saw Persephone's thigh, they would not go looking for her veins. In other words, the "energy" expressed by Michelangelo and Bernini was different.
Michelangelo's inspiration came from the Torso, sitting there in stillness. Bernini, on the other hand, was dynamic. Hades had obtained Persephone and was laughing aloud. Though the statue could not make a sound, viewers could imagine it from his expression, even if his joy was built upon Persephone's terror.
The finished work was initially placed slightly below ground