Design for a Ewer with Bull's Heads under the Handels and Spout

Art Historical Context

Giovanni Battista Foggini, prominent Florentine Baroque artist (1652–1725), this intricate design for a luxurious ewer—a elegant pitcher used for pouring water or wine at grand tables. Working in the opulent Medici court, Foggini in decorative arts, blending classical motifs with exuberant Baroque flourish. Dated to his active years, this drawing exemplifies the era's fascination with mythological and zoomorphic elements, like the fierce bull's heads positioned under the handles and spout, evoking strength and ancient symbolism possibly drawn from Greek myths such as Europa and the Bull. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and gray wash over faint black chalk traces, the work showcases Foggini's mastery of mixed media for preparatory sketches. The subtle gray washes add depth and volume to the forms, while the secondary paper support—glued for preservation—hints at its careful handling over centuries. At just 7 3/8 x 4 inches, its compact scale belies the grandeur it envisions for a silver or gilt-metal ewer. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece from The Elisha Whittelsey Collection illuminates the collaborative world of 17th-century design, where artists like Foggini bridged drawing and craft, inspiring silversmiths to craft sumptuous objects for Europe's elite. A window into Baroque ornamentation, it invites us to imagine the ewer's gleaming presence at a lavish banquet.

About the Artist

Giovanni Battista Foggini · 1652–1725

**Giovanni Battista Foggini** (1652–1725) was a leading Italian sculptor and architect of the late Baroque period, born in Florence within the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. He began his career under the patronage of the Medici family, who sponsored his artistic training. In 1673, at the age of 21, Cosimo III de' Medici sent the young Foggini to Rome to join the newly founded Accademia Fiorentina, where ...