WATERCOLOR PASSEPARTOUT ETCHING – NANO MORGANTE

Collector’s item made with the etching technique, known since ancient times and used to engrave decorations on weapons. Watercolor depiction of Bacchino’s Fountain with passepartout.

Dating to 1560, the Fountain of Bacchino – or Nano Morgante – is now found in the Boboli Gardens. An example of Mannerist sculpture, it is characterised by an almost grotesque style. It is a portrait of the court dwarf of Cosimo I de’ Medici, known as ‘Braccio di Bartolo’ or ‘Morgante’, and carved here by Valerio Cioli. Thanks to the tenderness the subject inspires, perhaps because of the association between Morgante’s well-fed physique and the notion of abundance, this statue is seen today as a good luck charm.