GIUSEPPE PIAMONTINI (Firenze 1663-1744)
Diana
White marble
38x5x28x22cm
White marble bust depicting Diana, with the crescent moon on the head, a key attribute to identify the huntress divinity, here in syncretism with Selene, personification of the Moon and spouse of Zeus. In this elegant bust head is turning to left, to observe elsewhere, as appears in many full-relief sculptures; the traditional hairstyle shows the soft locks combed in a chignon on the back.
Riccardo Spinelli attributes this sculpture to Giuseppe Piamontini, a Florentine artist who was author of several classic-taste busts, recalling the late-baroque language of Giovanni Battista Foggini, in whom workshop Piamontini was introduced to the sculpture, before becoming a pupil of Ercole Ferrata. Quite clear are the resemblances with the other bust of Diana made by Piamontini for the staircase of Palazzo Pitti, where the same recalls to roman and Greek samples are evident, the statue is dated to the ninth decade of XVII century when the artist define his proper style with simplification of the formal elements. The bust belonging to Fondazione shows clearly the best period of his artistic experience, with a mature and conscious style.