The Medici Wedding of 1589: Florentine Festival as Theatrum Mundi [Hardcover]

Asst. Prof. James M. Saslow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 1996

Reconstructing the Medici wedding between Grand Duke Ferdinando de' Medici and the French princess Christine of Lorraine, this work provides a narrative of this event, which lasted a month, and which was a landmark in Renaissance art and architecture, theatre, music and political ceremonial.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The marriage of Christine of Lorraine to Ferdinando of Tuscany lasted the better part of a month; preparations for it took almost a year. Saslow (art history, Queen's Coll., CUNY) notes that the wedding "constitute[s] one of the outstanding late Renaissance landmarks of artistic creativity." He interweaves "high" art history (iconography, iconology of the event) with the social and economic history of production to show how a major multimedia artistic project was conceived, paid for, organized, and executed in a time of transition "from small independent workshops to permanent state-supported administration of unprecedented scale and complexity." His book abounds in telling anecdote: work contracts with artists and artisans, the working and placement of stage machinery, "punch" lists of last-minute work, who stood where and did what at dress rehearsals, etc. The work also contains a catalog of 88 set and costume drawings, paintings, and prints. This is a wonderful book enriched by a wealth of telling detail that will satisfy both scholar and lay reader.?David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A detailed account of theatrical pageants celebrating one of the most sumptuous weddings of Renaissance Italy. Ferdinando de' Medici had been a cardinal since age 14 and was known as a religious reformer and a patron of the arts. The death of his elder brother forced him to leave the church to rescue the dynasty from extinction. His marriage to Christine de Lorraine cemented an important political alliance and brought Florence an enormous dowry from the French. Saslow (Art History/Queens College) guides us through the ten months of preparations for the events and the actual pageants, which began with Christine's arrival at Livorno on April 24 and lasted until June 8. Attractions included triumphal entries, mock naval battles against the Turks, and a soccer match. Saslow is particularly interested in the series of intermedi, which were allegorical tableaux inserted between the acts of comedies in the Medici Theater. They involved the use of instrumental music, song, dance, and splendid costumes and stage designs, and they featured classical characters, such as nymphs and shepherds, Bacchus and Apollo, and the figures of Rhythm and Harmony--all glorifying the ruling couple and wishing them offspring. Saslow is a conscious admirer of Michel Foucault (he tends to write like him), and he interprets this rich material both as fine art and as an artifact of social and political control. Drawing on published texts, sketches, paintings and prints (many of which are superbly reproduced here), and manuscript sources, such as stage manager Girolamo Seriacopi's daily production logbook, our author explores such details of backstage life as salaries, working conditions, and the incipient roles of women. Valuable reading for students of Renaissance society and the performing arts. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (May 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300064470
• ISBN-13: 978-0300064476
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,272,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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