This sculpture of the Foot of a Colossus was produced from breccia with marble onyx toes in Italy in the 17th century. It is one of the "curios" - rare objects for collecting - that were so popular in Peter the Great's time. It was in that period that the collecting of works of art began in Russia. The Tsar himself accumulated art collections that were significant in quantity, content and variety and so did his close associates. Alexander Menshikov was one of the leading collectors of the time.