Design for a Two-Handled Urn with Acanthus, Shell, and Egg-and-Tongue Motif
1652-1725
As the chief court sculptor for the Medici family in Florence, Giovanni Battista Foggini drafted this architectural monster of a vase, likely as a blueprint for a craftsman to carve in marble or cast in silver. The design is pure Baroque drama, featuring massive, scrolling handles that look like stone clouds and a body packed with intricate acanthus leaves and shell motifs. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a master designer's workshop, showing how even a simple container was treated as a symmetrical monument. You can almost see the artist obsessing over every curve and fluting detail before the final expensive materials were cut.
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