Putto above a swan

Description

The "Putto sopra un cigno" was made by Andrea di Michelangelo Ferrucci between 1620 and 1621, as shown in the account of the statues executed for the garden, commissioned by Cosimo II, dated April 22/May 3, 16 22 (Capecchi 2008, p. 70; ASF, Scrittoio delle Regie Possessioni, f. 2518) . This putto and the other cupids that adorn the Fountain originally adorned the rim of the great pool of the Island, where they are docu mented until 1638 and only after 1642 were they used to decorate the "Artichoke Fountain." The small "festive putti" were part of the all estimento of the "Bath of Venus" and constituted the retinue of the goddess. For G abriele Capecchi, the image of the host of Cupids "swarming happily and mischievously around Venus" comes from Ovid's "Metamorphoses" (Capecchi 2008, p. 70). The marbles of these putti came from the workshop of Tacca , who was officially given the commission to sculpt them. In 1617 the sculptor entrusted the task of sketching the putti to Felice Palma, the sculptur e would later be completed by the other "scultorini" already active in Bob oli. (Capecchi 2008, p. 70; ASF, Scrittoio delle Regie Possessioni, 2516, c. 221, c. 250)