Monument of the Four Moors

[2] In 1617, Cosimo II contracted sculptor Pietro Tacca to create the monument to commemorate his father, Ferdinando I.

[1] Although the four chained prisoners are meant to represent the victories of Ferdinando I over the Ottomans, some scholars have posited different interpretations due to the presence of the statue with the black African characteristics.

[3] Tacca's design of the Moors monument is assumed to have been influenced by three columns in the shape of African men supporting a balcony in Via Carriona in Carrara.

The structure was constructed between 1632–1642 to commemorate Marcantonio Colonna's participation in the battle of Lepanto in 1571 which led to the defeat of the Ottomans.

[1] The monument of the four Moors also influenced Bernini's creation of the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi).