Gian Lorenzo Bernini was born on the 7th of December 1598 in the city of Naples. At the age of 8 he went to Rome with his father where his skill was noticed by artists and popes alike.
While still a boy Bernini received commissions from Cardinal Borghese to create sculptures for his villa, and at the age of 22 Bernini was commissioned by Pope Paul V to create a bust of him. By the age of 26 Bernini's reputation was well established.
With the assumption of Pope Urban VIII in 1623 Bernini became the "curator of the papal art collection", the "director of the papal foundry at Castel Sant'Angelo", and the "commissioner of the fountains of Piazza Navona", granting him the opportunity to create works all over Rome.
The piece is thought to have been inspired by Bernini's disastrous experience when two towers he was building had to be pulled down. He claimed that time would prove it was not his fault