This is the first exhibition dedicated to Pier Francesco Foschi (1502 – 1567), a highly prolific and fashionable Florentine painter whose career spanned nearly five decades.
Despite his success among the contemporary public, he fell into nearly complete obscurity after his death. The exhibition offers a timely and critical reevaluation of this versatile and innovative Renaissance master with exceptional works of art from world-re- nowned museums including the Gallerie degli Uffizi (Florence), the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid) and the Royal Collection Trust (London) that have never been presented in the United States. “Wealth and Beauty” will feature paintings and drawings by Foschi and his contemporaries, along with decorative arts objects that provide insight into the world of wealthy 16th-century Florentines. Born in Florence to a family of painters (his father was a member of Botticelli’s workshop), Foschi trained with Andrea del Sarto, one of the most influential artists of the Renaissance. He received com - missions from numerous prominent families of Florence, including the Medici, Pucci and Torrigiani. His assignments included small devotional images and large church altarpieces and frescoes, but he is best known today for his portraits. In his own lifetime he became one of the most sought-after portraitists in his city, cele- brated for his ability to convey the gravitas of his subjects and rep- resent the objects that connoted their social and economic status.
Pier Francesco Foschi (1502 – 1567), “Holy Family with the Young Saint John the Baptist,” ca. 1525–35. Mixed tempera on panel, 105 × 87 centimeters (41 5/16 × 34 1/4 inches), Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, Florence, 235 azzurro - 302 giallo. Italy, early 16th century, beads from a rosary. Gilt copper with champlevé enamel, 24.5 centimeters long (9 5/8 inches). ClevelandMuseum of Art, Cleveland Ohio, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1952.277. Pier Francesco Foschi (1502 – 1567), “Portrait of Bartolomeo Compagni,” 1549. Oil on panel, 102.9 × 82.6 centimeters (40 1/2 × 32 1/2 inches). Cummer Museum of Art &Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida. Purchased with funds from the Cummer Council. AP.1984.3.1
Curator: Nelda Damiano, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art
Sponsors: The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, the Goizueta Foundation, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art
Pier Francesco Foschi (1502 – 1567), “Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist,” ca. 1528 – 30. Oil on panel, 113 × 83.5 centimeters (44 1/2 × 32 7/8 inches). Galleria Nazionale della Liguria a Palazzo Spinola, Genova, Inv. GNL 32/1967.
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