Circle of Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1725) Italian, Florence, circa 1700

Overall the condition of the urn is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The urn retains its original polished surface. The quality of the carving and finishing is very fine. Please note the following additional points: There is veining to the marble consistent with the material. There are two losses to the outer upper edge on one side: above the centred mask biting festoons (which has a chip to the nose), and further to the right. There are some small chips and abrasions to the edges. There is a small loss to the interior upper edge. There are minor chips to the noses of the masks at the short ends of the urn, and there is wear to one of the chins. There are some minor surface abrasions, including to the interior (bowl). The urn may have once had a lid. The foot is also in good condition with minor chips to the edges and minor surface abrasions.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The festoons draped from the mouths of the grotesques on this beautifully carved cool grey marble urn recall similar devices in central Italian architecture from circa 1700. Observe, for example, the same motif above a door from the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence, which was designed by Giuseppe Broccetti (Spinelli, op. cit., p. 349, fig. 391). Gadrooning, as seen at the sides of the present urn, is a device used throughout Italian Renaissance and Baroque fine and applied art, but was employed frequently in the late 17th and 18th centuries. See, for example, the Lavamano from Santa Maria Novella, also in Florence (Bellesi et al, op. cit., pp. 248-248, no. 125).

With its female grotesques at the short sides, combined with gadrooning, the present urn particularly recalls designs by the great Florentine master Giovanni Battista Foggini. Compare, for example, with his Urn published by Bellesi et al (op. cit., p. 329, fig. 27) and note the similarly expressive faces with full cheeks and pouting lips. The present urn was previously attributed to Giovanni Battista Casella (1623-1678) on the basis of a comparison with tomb monuments by the Genoese sculptor in Bardiglio grey marble, which have analogous baroque swags, scrolls and masks. The comparison with Foggini's designs might nonetheless indicate a dating slightly later in the 17th century or in the early 18th century. The sculpture is, regardless, a small scale triumph of late baroque decorative carving, sensitively and finely executed by an experienced hand.

RELATED LITERATURE
R. Spinelli, Giovan Battista Foggini: Architetto Primario della Casa dei Medici (1652-1725), Florence, 2003; S. Bellesi and M. Visonà, Giovacchino Fortini: Scultura architettura decorazione e committenza a Firenze al tempo degli ultimi Medici, Florence, 2008