Among the many tasks of a court artist featured the design and organization of festivals and tournaments, which Renaissance princes saw as their favourite means of political propaganda. The festive culture which developed in the Italian courts in the early modern period found its transalpine equivalent in the sumptuous tradition of pageant and tournaments of the Burgundian court. The Habsburgs, who claimed to be the heirs of the House of Burgundy, took over the legacy and introduced the tradition into their own court representations.

In addition to Arcimboldo's paintings, his drawings for courtly pageants were included in the Habsburg imperial art collection. A selection of sketches of various pageants and tournaments are now in the Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe of the Galleria degli Uffizi which were brought to Florence via the Tuscan branch of the Habsburg family. These drawings were originally gathered in a red Morocco portfolio. On the frontispiece there is a dedication to Emperor Rudolf II. Most of these sketches are in brown pen and blue wash.

Preview	Picture Data	Info
	Sketch for a Cerberus 1585 Brown pen and blue wash Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a Sleigh with Putti 1585 Brown pen and blue wash Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a Sleigh Shaped like a Basket of Flowers 1585 Brown pen and blue wash Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a Sleigh with a Siren 1585 Brown pen and blue wash Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a Sleigh with an Allegory of Victory 1585 Brown pen and blue wash Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a Visored Helmet 1585 Brown pen and blue wash Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a Mask 1585 Brown pen and blue wash Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a sleigh 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 138 x 174 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a sleigh 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 137 x 175 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a sleigh 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 156 x 189 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a sleigh with figures of sirens 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 150 x 205 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Sketch for a sleigh with figures 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 188 x 230 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume of the allegorical figure "Grammar" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 202 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume of the allegorical figure "Dialectic" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 207 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume of the allegorical figure "Geometry" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 206 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume of the allegorical figure "Rhetoric" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 205 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume of the allegorical figure "Astrology" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 203 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing of a woman with lance 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 206 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume of the allegorical figure "Arithmetic" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 309 x 205 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume of the allegorical figure "Music" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 303 x 204 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing of a woman bearing a lance 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 294 x 208 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing of a woman bearing a torch 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 308 x 211 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing of a female figure with torch 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 305 x 204 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing of a woman with torch 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 306 x 205 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a female figure with torch 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 303 x 205 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a male figure with torch 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 314 x 203 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a male figure with stave 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 314 x 211 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a "necromancer" 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 210 x 169 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing of a cook 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 305 x 202 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for man-at-arms 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 312 x 210 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a knight 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 316 x 209 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a knight 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 313 x 198 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a knight 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 198 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Costume drawing for a knight on horseback 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 210 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Horse harness 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 181 x 270 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Horse harness 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 165 x 238 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Saddle for sleigh horse 1585 Pen, blue wash on white paper, 167 x 227 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Saddle cover 1585 Blue chalk, lilac wash, gold on white paper, 183 x 235 mm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence