Bust of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici (1549–1609)

As one of the most recent acquisitions made by Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, the Bust of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici extends the holdings of portraits of rulers cast in bronze held by the Princely Collections.
Formal points of reference can be found in busts of Ferdinando by Giambologna in bronze and marble as well as the equestrian statues that the latter artist made as court sculptor to the Medici, the making of which was largely delegated to Pietro Tacca. Two portrait busts of Ferdinando I and his father Cosimo I that are today preserved in the Bargello and the Uffizi respectively, represent the most important reference points. In a handover inventory of objects from the Palazzo del Parione, the former residence of Don Giovanni de’ Medici (1567–1621), a half-brother of Ferdinando, to the grand-ducal household, the pendants are listed as valued in 1622. The document also unequivocally names Pietro Tacca as their maker.
In 1613 Tacca had sent one of the busts of Ferdinando I to France as a personal gift to the daughter of the grand duke, Maria de’ Medici (1575–1642). This can probably be identified with the portrait bust held in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which is stylistically similar to the version in the Princely Collections and was probably made around the same time as the pendant pieces for Giovanni de’ Medici. It depicts Ferdinando at a younger age than the Liechtenstein and Florence versions.
The Bargello bust reproduces the formula of the portrait in the exhibition quite precisely. However, it was never completed, being only minimally reworked. The Liechtenstein version with its fine detail and elaborated finesses of varying texture and materials contrasts clearly with the latter bust: the cross of the Order of Santo Stefano founded by Cosimo I hangs resplendent on the breast of the sitter, and his armour is embellished with trophies in relief work.
For the execution of the face Tacca seems to have had recourse to a concrete wax model by Giambologna. Ferdinando died in 1609, a year after Giambologna had died and Tacca had taken over his studio, which probably did not give him time to make his own model of the grand duke’s face.