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Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany

ca. 1680–82
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 550
These meltingly carved busts of father (1993.332.1) and son are surely the finest examples of the portrait style of G. B. Foggini, the leading sculptor of the Florentine Baroque. While strong echoes of Bernini date the creation of the pair to shortly after the younger artist's return from Rome, they already exhibit Foggini's talent for the depiction of material opulence that earned him the post of Medici court sculptor. Dynamic contrasts abound: the fragile lace cravats and lavish mantles (emulating modes of the contemporary French court) set off the realistically depicted faces. They in turn provide their own study in contrasts: the commanding pose and classic Habsburg physiognomy of the balding father serve as counterpoint to the sweet, somewhat unformed face of the youth, overwhelmed by a delirious cascade of curls. Foggini's artistic genius inaugurated the final flourish of Medici patronage. These busts, modeled from life, were followed by a series portraying other family members, all intended to promote the political aspirations of the fading dynasty. Their acquisition served to link our major series of Roman Baroque portrait busts to a growing collection of stunning small-scale Florentine sculptures of that period.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany
  • Artist: Giovanni Battista Foggini (Italian, Florence 1652–1725 Florence)
  • Date: ca. 1680–82
  • Culture: Italian, Florence
  • Medium: Marble, gray marble
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 38 3/4 × 28 7/8 × 14 in., 337 lb. (98.4 × 73.3 × 35.6 cm, 152.9 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Annenberg Foundation Gift, 1993
  • Object Number: 1993.332.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Cosimo III de' Medici (1642–1723), Grand Duke of Tuscany, Giovanni Battista Foggini Italian, Marble with base of gray marble, Italian, Florence
Cosimo III de' Medici (1642–1723), Grand Duke of Tuscany
Giovanni Battista Foggini
ca. 1680–82
Cosimo III de' Medici, b. 1642, Grand Duke of Tuscany 1670–1723, Giovanni Battista Foggini Italian, Terracotta, Italian, Florence
Cosimo III de' Medici, b. 1642, Grand Duke of Tuscany 1670–1723
Giovanni Battista Foggini
ca. 1676–84
The suicide of Ajax, Giovanni Battista Foggini Italian, Bronze, Italian, Florence
The suicide of Ajax
Giovanni Battista Foggini
ca. 1690
Design for a Sarcophagus Supported by Putti for the Church of S. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, Florence, Giovanni Battista Foggini (family and workshop) Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash over black chalk or graphite
Design for a Sarcophagus Supported by Putti for the Church of S. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, Florence
Giovanni Battista Foggini
1652–1725
Design for an Alcove with a Coat of Arms Flanked by Putti Bearing a Crown, Supported by Pilasters with Human Heads in Capitals, Giovanni Battista Foggini Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray, brown-pink and yellow wash over traces of graphite; framing lines at lower edge in pen and brown ink
Design for an Alcove with a Coat of Arms Flanked by Putti Bearing a Crown, Supported by Pilasters with Human Heads in Capitals
Giovanni Battista Foggini
1652–1725

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