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

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 reverse copy after earlier designs associated with Giulio Parigi and Remigio Cantagallina, the small etching preserves the memory of an event that blended classical mythology with Florentine political spectacle. Such festivals were carefully orchestrated displays of Medici power, using ancient heroes like the Argonauts to suggest the family’s noble lineage and adventurous spirit. Jean Sauvé’s precise line work translates the original theatrical designs into a portable print, allowing viewers far from Florence to imagine the luminous procession gliding beneath torchlight. As both a record of courtly entertainment and an example of ornamental printmaking, the sheet highlights how 17th-century artists used etching to document ephemeral events. Its modest size belies the grandeur it evokes: a fleeting night of music, light, and myth on the waters of the Arno.

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...