Plate 14: The Argonauts Eurytus, Echion, and Aethalides (Eurito Echione e Etalide Argonote), led by Mercury in the form of a peacock, from the series 'The magnificent pageant on the river Arno in Florence for the marriage of the Grand Duke' (Le Magnifique carousel fait sur le fleuve de l'Arne a Florence, pour le mariage du Grand Duc), for the wedding celebration of Cosimo de' Medici in Florence, 1608
Medium
Etching; reverse copy
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 3 11/16 × 5 1/16 in. (9.4 × 12.8 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.527.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching captures a vibrant moment from one of the most spectacular festivals of the early Baroque era: a grand aquatic pageant staged on the Arno River in Florence to celebrate the 1608 wedding of Cosimo II de’ Medici and Maria Maddalena of Austria. Plate 14 shows the Argonauts Eurytus, Echion, and Aethalides being guided by Mercury, here ingeniously disguised as a peacock—an emblem of splendor and divine protection. The scene belongs to a printed series documenting the elaborate floats, costumes, and choreography that transformed the river into a moving stage. Created in 1664 as a rever...
About the Artist
Anonymous|Giulio Parigi|Remigio Cantagallina|Jean Sauvé
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...