After Pietro Tacca (1577-1640): A pair of andirons with Moorish slaves, patinated bronze, most probably 17th C. and later
H 72 - 70 cm? H 45 - 42 cm (without the base) ? ? The sculptures most probably 17th C. The bronze bases of a later date (19th C.). ? The inspiration for these sculptures was found at the 'Monumento dei Quattro Mori' (The Monument of the Four Moors), located at Piazza Micheli in Livorno and completed in 1626 to commemorate the victories of Ferdinand I of Tuscany over the Ottomans. The monument was created by the famous Italian sculptor Pietro Tacca and it takes its name from the four bronze statues of 'Moorish slaves' at the base of the monument, which represent the four corners of the world (link). ? Provenance: 'Die Fürstliche Sammlung Thurn und Taxis', Sotheby's, Regensburg, October 1993, lot 1065 (StE 3106/3107).