Antonio Franchi: A Florentine Master of Porcelain Crispness Antonio Franchi (14 July 1638 – 18 July 1709) was an Italian painter and art theorist of the 17th century, active primarily in Florence and Lucca. Born in Villa Basilica near Lucca, he is also known as Il Lucchese. Initially trained in Lucca with Domenico Ferrucci, he moved for over a decade (1655–67) to Florence, where he collaborated closely with Felice Ficherelli and Baldassare Franceschini—artists whose stylistic sensibilities profoundly shaped Franchi’s artistic vision. His style embodies the harmonious blend of Neoclassical el…