How did Gian Lorenzo Bernini make marble appear like skin, hair, and cloth?

Gian Lorenzo Bernini achieved his lifelike effects by employing an unparalleled virtuosity in carving that effectively emancipated stone from its inherent "stoniness". By utilizing painterly devices—such as richly varied, illusionistic textures and novel approaches to shading—he was able to transform marble into surfaces that convincingly mimicked the softness of skin, the strands of hair, and the complex folds of cloth.12

Rather than adhering to traditional sculptural limitations, Bernini treated marble with a sensual awareness that allowed him to capture delicate effects typically reserved for bronze or painting. His ability to manipulate the material to create these textures, combined with his skill in capturing transitory facial expressions and states of mind, made his figures appear unprecedentedly alive to his contemporaries. Through these innovations, he successfully blurred the lines between different artistic mediums, creating a dramatic, unified experience that engaged the viewer's senses and broke with the rigid traditions of his predecessors.12