Although rendered in stone, the sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini convey a sense of weightlessness perhaps unequalled in the history of Western art. This program illustrates Bernini’s nearly miraculous ability to turn marble into a vessel of rapture, both spiritual and sexual. With The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa as his principal focus, presenter Simon Schama examines numerous works by the prodigious artist—David, Apollo and Daphne, The Rape of Proserpina, Bust of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, Bust of Constanza Bonarelli, and more. Schama also addresses the failure of Bernini’s bell tower at St. Peter’s Basilica and recounts the fierce rivalries and amorous misadventures that shaped the sculptor’s life and career. (52 minutes)