About this artwork
This etching commemorates the extravagant festivities marking the 1637 marriage of Ferdinando de’ Medici— also known as Ferdinand II—to the Princess of Urbino, Vittoria della Rovere. Such lavish displays of wealth maintained the social and political standing of the Italian elite. The central area shows a carriage drawn by four elephants flanked on either side by horsemen and foot soldiers, with a fictive dead dragon in tow. Bordering the central panel are the 15 movements of an equally celebratory and impressive quadrille, or equestrian ballet.
Florentine by birth, della Bella worked extensively for the Medici family before going to Rome around 1683. At the top of the largest segment of this work, the coat of arms of the Medici family appears alongside that of the Rovere family.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Stefano della Bella
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Title
- Carousel for Ferdinand II, Duke of Tuscany
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Place
- Italy (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1637
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Medium
- Etching in black on ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Image/plate: 33 × 44.5 cm (13 × 17 9/16 in.); Sheet: 37.8 × 48.6 cm (14 15/16 × 19 3/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Dennis Adrian in memory of Max Guggiari
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Reference Number
- 1968.21
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/28651/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
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