Francesco Pieri (c.1698-1793) was born in Prato, but worked both in Florence and Naples. Pieri was a sculptor, medallist and wax modeller; dedicating himself entirely to the latter from 1738. He studied in Florence and worked as an assistant to the sculptor Giovacchino Fortini until 1736. Pieri revealed a particular talent for miniature genre scenes and portraits, and it was in this capacity that he moved to Naples to work for Carlo di Borbone. In 1769 Marie-Thérèse persuaded Pieri to work for the Hapsburg Court in Vienna.
Genre high reliefs by Pieri are conserved in the Wallace Collection (op. cit. S464-5), and are included in Pyke's Dictionary (op. cit., pls 218B-218C). Like the present well preserved example, these genre scenes are remarkable for their meticulous attention to detail, vivid colour and pictorial realism. The present Picnic Scene is further exemplary in the use of both high relief and figures in the round; it stands as a fine instance of the mid 18th century taste for genre scenes.