LATE 17TH CENTURY, ATTRIBUTED TO THE GRAND DUCAL WORKSHOPS, PROBABLY DESIGNED BY GIOVANNI BATTISTA FOGGINI (1652-1725)

Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1725) trained in Rome before returning to Florence in 1676 to become a highly influential and respected Baroque sculptor. Appointed court sculptor to the Medici in 1686, Foggini directed the Grand Ducal studio and foundry at Borgo Pinti, and also the Galeria dei Lavori, the workshop specialising in the production of decorative objects in hardstone. Foggini's work is, 'often characterized by a highly developed tactile sense, and by a sensuous celebration of the quality of the materials, which themselves form an important part of the artistic effect.' (A.M. Giusti, Pietre Dure: Hardstone in Furniture and Decorations, London, 1992, p.109)
An almost identical panel, inest in a small ebony cabinet, is in the Rosenborg Palace, Copenhagen.