Design for a Cartouche with an Annunication above and a Kneeling Figure with Staff Below. 1652 - 1725

Giovanni Battista Foggini made this design for a cartouche using pen and brown ink on paper. Foggini was a sculptor, so this drawing is a plan for three-dimensional ornamentation. Think about the qualities of ink and paper, how they lend themselves to quick and easy sketching. The artist’s hand moved freely, using hatching and cross-hatching to give form to the figures and foliage. This kind of drawing was a crucial part of the design process in the 17th and 18th centuries. It allowed artists to develop their ideas and communicate them to the workshops where the real labor took place. This design would likely have been executed by skilled artisans, carving stone or wood to bring Foggini's concept to life. Understanding the relationship between design and execution helps us appreciate the full scope of artistic production at the time, acknowledging the skilled labor often hidden behind a single artist's name.