UNKNOWN GOLDSMITH, Italian
(active 2nd half of the 16th century in Florence

Lapis Lazuli Ewer with Swan-Shaped Spout

1550-1600
Lapis lazuli, white enamel, gold mounting, height 27 cm
Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

The design of the lapis lazuli ewer, probably made in the Medici workshops, shows the influence of Bernardo Buontalenti, while the mounting reveals characteristics of work by Jacopo Bilivert, a Dutch artist, who, along with others, had fled the religious strife in his country to seek employment in Florence. The white enamelled, swan-shaped spout is braced on fish tails.