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Carousel for Ferdinand II, Duke of Tuscany

A work made of etching in black on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching in black on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1637

Artist:

Stefano della Bella
Italian, 1610-1664

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.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Stefano della Bella

Title

Carousel for Ferdinand II, Duke of Tuscany

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1637

Medium

Etching in black on ivory laid paper

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.)

Credit Line

Gift of Dennis Adrian in memory of Max Guggiari

Reference Number

1968.21

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/28651/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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