FRANCESCO CAMILLIANI. — Sculptor, born in Florence and died there on 13 Oct. 1586, buried in the church of the Santissima Annunziata. Pupil of Baccio Bandinelli and member of the Accademia del Disegno, he executed statues, now lost, for many Florentine churches.
Sources recall of him a terracotta Melchisedech for the painters’ chapel in the great cloister of the Santissima Annunziata, a Neptune in stone for the courtyard of the Ricasoli palace, several statues for Borgo Ognissanti and a bas-relief of the Annunciation for the door of the Duomo. His most important work is the large fountain with allegories of winds designed for the Florentine villa of Don Pedro of Toledo, later sold in 1573 by Don Luigi of Toledo to the Senate of Palermo. Composed of 644 pieces of marble, it was installed in the Piazza Pretoria of that city by the sculptor’s son, the architect Camillo. On some of the statues the author placed his signature and the dates 1554 and 1556.