Third Triumphal Arch at the ‘Canto dei Carnesecchi’, from an Album with Prints recording the Festivities and Decorations organized in Florence for the 1589 Wedding of Archduke Ferdinand de' Medici and Christine of Lorraine
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Overall: 10 9/16 × 15 13/16 × 9/16 in. (26.8 × 40.1 × 1.4 cm) Plate: 9 5/8 × 13 9/16 in. (24.4 × 34.5 cm)
Classification
Books|Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1931
Accession Number
31.72.5(7)
Art Historical Context
This etching captures the grandeur of the Third Triumphal Arch at the Canto dei Carnesecchi, one of many elaborate temporary structures erected in Florence for the 1589 wedding of Archduke Ferdinand de' Medici and Christine of Lorraine. These festivities, organized under Ferdinando I de' Medici (soon to become Grand Duke of Tuscany), were a dazzling display of Medici power and Renaissance opulence, blending classical antiquity with Florentine innovation. The album from which this print comes preserves these ephemeral decorations, offering a rare visual record of the era's theatrical urban tran...
About the Artist
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Orazio Scarabelli|Christine of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany|Bernardo Buontalenti (Bernardo delle Girandole) (Italian|Italian|Italian|Italian|French) · 1543 |1500 |1523 |1548 | –1639 |1600 |1591 |1609 |
Italian, Florence 1543–1639 Florence|Italian, active 16th century|Bergamo ca. 1523/25–ca. 1591 Rome|Italian, Florence 1548–1609 Florence|