Giovanni Gonnelli

According to Baldinucci, he had been discovered in the studio of the elder Pietro Tacca by the duke of Mantua, Carlo Gonzaga.

However, following the Duke back to his capital meant that he suffered from the siege of the city by German troops in 1630.

During this time, and perhaps due to the effects of deprivation and labor, he became completely blind.

Back in Tuscany, after a spell of melancholy, he began to sculpt again in clay, and his work aroused accolades and patronage from the likes of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinand and Pope Urban VIII.

He had ten children, played guitar and sang, and engaged in various love affairs.