Bernardo

Bernardo — White Carrara Edition

The panda who stands guard over the planet, now carved in luminous marble

The panda is the international emblem of endangered wildlife, and—aptly—the icon of WWF. In this new iteration for the “White Carrara” art exhibition, our gentle yet vigilant bear abandons ceramic glazes and is reborn in pure Carrara marble, the very stone that has carried Italian sculpture to immortality since antiquity.

Bernardo (whose name means “strong and brave as a bear”) rises 48 cm high, balanced on his hind legs like the charismatic chief of an imaginary tribe. His “armor” is still there: a crown of interwoven bamboo leaves and branches, now rendered in crisp marble folds that catch the light like crystalline latticework. Subtle chisel marks and contrasting polished–satin finishes replace the former colour enamels, letting natural shadows paint the pattern of his fur while fine, high-gloss facets pick out the leaf veins and heroic mask.

Carving the panda from a single block of locally quarried Bianco Carrara lends an added layer of meaning: the same mountain range that has supplied masterworks for two millennia is, itself, under environmental pressure. The sculpture thus becomes a double appeal—to protect both threatened species and the landscapes that gift us their raw materials.

Showing Bernardo in Carrara—where every street echoes with the ring of chisels—creates a poignant conversation between tradition and urgency. He stands, heroic yet gentle, reminding us that saving the Earth’s biodiversity is both an ancient duty and a fiercely contemporary battle.
Material: Hand-carved Carrara marble with satin and high-polish detailing