Giovanni Battista (Giambattista) Foggini (25 April 1652 – 12 April 1725) was an Italian sculptor active in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, renowned mainly for small bronze statuary.

Biography

Born in Florence, the young Foggini was sent to Rome by the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

Grand Duke of Tuscany to join the so-called ''Accademia Fiorentina'', and apprentice in the Roman sculptural studio of

Ercole Ferrata Ercole Ferrata (1610 – 10 July 1686) was an Italian sculptor of the Roman Baroque. Biography A native of Pellio Inferiore, near Como, Ferrata initially apprenticed with Alessandro Algardi, and became one of his prime assistants. When hi ...

, a pupil of Algardi. He was also tutored in drawing by the Accademia's first director (1673–86),

Ciro Ferri Ciro Ferri (1634 – 13 September 1689) was an Italian Baroque sculptor and painter, the chief pupil and successor of Pietro da Cortona. Biography He was born in Rome, where he began working under Cortona and with a team of artists in the extens ...

, who was a pupil of

Cortona Cortona (, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Toponymy Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from Etruscan language, Etr ...

. Returning to Florence in 1676, he became the

court sculptor A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

for

Cosimo III Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdina ...

. After the son of

Pietro Tacca Pietro Tacca (16 September 1577 – 26 October 1640) was an Italian sculptor, who was the chief pupil and follower of Giambologna. Tacca began in a Mannerist style and worked in the Baroque style during his maturity. Biography Born in Carr ...

, Fernando, died in 1686, the mantle of the premier local sculptor fell to Foggini, who would become the Medici's ''Architetto Primario e Primo scultore della Casa Serenissima'' as well as ''Soprintendente dei Lavori'' (1687–1725). In 1687, Foggini acquired the foundry in

Borgo Pinti Borgo may refer to the following places: Finland * Borgå France * Borgo, Haute-Corse Italy * Borgo (rione of Rome), a ''rione'' in the City of Rome. * Borgo a Mozzano, in the province of Lucca *Borgo d'Ale, in the province of Vercelli * Borgo ...

that had once belonged to the sculptor

Giambologna Giambologna (1529 – 13 August 1608), also known as Jean de Boulogne (French), Jehan Boulongne (Flemish) and Giovanni da Bologna (Italian), was the last significant Italian Renaissance sculptor, with a large workshop producing large and small ...

. This allowed him to specialize in small bronzes, produced mainly and profitably for export. His adaptation of

's ''Moors'' was the basis of bronze and ceramic reproductions for the connoisseur market well into the 18th century. In Florence, his masterpieces are his sculptural relief work in the Capella

Corsini Corsini is an Italian surname. The Corsini family is a princely Florentine family. The emperor Charles IV created the head of the house a count palatine in 1371; the marquisate of Sismano was conferred on them in 1620, those of Casigliano and C ...

of the Chiesa del Carmine. The chapel was erected by Bartolomeo and Cardinal Neri Corsini in memory of their recently canonized ancestral family member, San Andrea Corsini. It contains three large marble reliefs depicting his life: ''San Andrea in Glory''
''The Mass of San Andrea Corsini''
an

(1685–87). He also completed works in Cappella Feroni in the Annunziata. Another work is the main staircase of the Medici-Riccardi Palace in

. Among his small bronzes are ''David with the Head of Goliath''.An example is in the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...

(Frederick Den Broeder and John D. Cooney, "Giovanni Battista Foggini: David with the Head of Goliath", ''The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art'' 54.1 anuary 1967:22-26. Foggini's pupils included Fernando Fuga, his nephew

Filippo della Valle Filippo della Valle (26 December 1698 – 29 April 1768) was an Italian late-Baroque or early Neoclassic sculptor, active mostly in Rome. Biography Della Valle was born in Florence. Initially apprenticed with Giovanni Battista Foggini in ...

Balthasar Permoser Balthasar Permoser (13 August 1651 – 18 February 1732) was among the leading sculptors of his generation, whose evolving working styles spanned the late Baroque and early Rococo. Biography Permoser was born in Kammer bei Waging, Salzburg, t ...

, Giovacchino Fortini and

Giovanni Baratta Giovanni Baratta (1670–1747) was an Italian sculptor of the late-Baroque period. He was born in Carrara, but active in Florence and Livorno. He was a pupil of Giovanni Battista Foggini. He has sculptures in church of San Ferdinando, Livor ...

Massimiliano Soldani Benzi Massimiliano Soldani or Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (15 July 1656 – 23 February 1740) was an Italian baroque sculptor and medallist, mainly active in Florence. Born at Montevarchi, the son of a Tuscan cavalry captain, Soldani was employed by th ...

was a contemporary student with Foggini in Rome and also active in small bronze sculpture.

Gallery

File:Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de Medici - Giovanni Battista Foggini - 1683 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.JPG, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de Medici - 1683 - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City Grand Prince Ferdinando de Medici - Giovanni Battista Foggini - 1683 - The Met NYC.JPG, Grand Prince Ferdinando de Medici - Giovanni Battista Foggini - 1683 - Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York City Ferdinando II by Foggini.jpg,

Ferdinando II de' Medici Ferdinando II de' Medici (14 July 1610 – 23 May 1670) was grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest son of Cosimo II de' Medici and Maria Maddalena of Austria. Remembered by his contemporaries as a man of culture and scie ...

, Grand Duke of Tuscany - 1690 - National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC File:Bust of Cosimo III de' Medici, 1717-1718 CE. By Giovanni Battista Figgini. Marble, from Italy, Florence. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.jpg, Bust of Cosimo III de' Medici, 1717-1718 CE. By Giovanni Battista Figgini. Marble, from Italy, Florence. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Notes

External links

* * * ''Gli Ultimi Medici'', Review by Peter Cannon-Brookes, in ''The Burlington Magazine'', 1974, p 777-80. {{DEFAULTSORT:Foggini, Giovanni Battista 1652 births 1725 deaths Sculptors from Florence 17th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors 18th-century Italian sculptors Court sculptors 18th-century Italian male artists