Design for a Fountain with Two Water-Spouting Lions (recto); Sketch for Triumph of Galatea [?] (verso).

Art Historical Context

Giovanni Battista Foggini (2–1725), a leading Florentine Baroque artist, sculptor, and designer, created this exquisite double-sided drawing as a preparatory study. On the recto, it a dynamic design for a fountain with water-spouting lions, the grandeur of 17th-century Italian ornamental architecture. Lions, symbols of strength and nobility, were popular motifs in Baroque fountains,oking the opulent gardens of Medici villas. The verso holds a tentative sketch possibly depicting the *Triumph of Galatea*, a mythological scene from classical lore celebrating the sea nymph's victory, hinting at Foggini's versatility across sculpture and painting. Executed in pen and brown ink over subtle traces of black chalk—a technique that allowed for fluid underdrawing followed by precise, energetic lines—this small sheet (5 15/16 x 5 3/4 in.) exemplifies the meticulous planning behind grand commissions. Such drawings bridged the gap between imagination and realization, influencing lavish public and private spaces in late Baroque Europe. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department through The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this work invites visitors to appreciate the artistry behind the spectacle, revealing Foggini's mastery in blending functionality with fantasy.

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 ...