Costumes and drawings for court festivities and tournaments
by Giuseppe ARCIMBOLDO

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 File Info Comment
Sketch for a Cerberus
1585
Brown pen and blue wash
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1089*800
True Color
104 Kb



Sketch for a Sleigh with Putti
1585
Brown pen and blue wash
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

894*1020
True Color
103 Kb



Sketch for a Sleigh Shaped like a Basket of Flowers
1585
Brown pen and blue wash
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

962*900
True Color
102 Kb



Sketch for a Sleigh with a Siren
1585
Brown pen and blue wash
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1100*770
True Color
90 Kb



Sketch for a Sleigh with an Allegory of Victory
1585
Brown pen and blue wash
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1100*826
True Color
113 Kb



Sketch for a Visored Helmet
1585
Brown pen and blue wash
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

935*900
True Color
106 Kb



Sketch for a Mask
1585
Brown pen and blue wash
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

775*1020
True Color
73 Kb



Sketch for a sleigh
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 138 x 174 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

881*700
True Color
83 Kb



Sketch for a sleigh
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 137 x 175 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

800*617
True Color
63 Kb



Sketch for a sleigh
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 156 x 189 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

900*726
True Color
102 Kb



Sketch for a sleigh with figures of sirens
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 150 x 205 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1000*725
True Color
97 Kb



Sketch for a sleigh with figures
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 188 x 230 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1000*823
True Color
102 Kb



Costume of the allegorical figure "Grammar"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 202 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

677*1000
True Color
66 Kb



Costume of the allegorical figure "Dialectic"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 207 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

676*1000
True Color
66 Kb



Costume of the allegorical figure "Geometry"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 206 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

674*1000
True Color
72 Kb



Costume of the allegorical figure "Rhetoric"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 205 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

693*1000
True Color
64 Kb



Costume of the allegorical figure "Astrology"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 203 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

678*1000
True Color
66 Kb



Costume drawing of a woman with lance
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 206 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

688*1000
True Color
82 Kb



Costume of the allegorical figure "Arithmetic"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 309 x 205 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

667*1000
True Color
60 Kb



Costume of the allegorical figure "Music"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 303 x 204 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

687*1000
True Color
86 Kb



Costume drawing of a woman bearing a lance
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 294 x 208 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

685*1000
True Color
100 Kb



Costume drawing of a woman bearing a torch
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 308 x 211 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

669*1000
True Color
77 Kb



Costume drawing of a female figure with torch
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 305 x 204 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

669*1000
True Color
84 Kb



Costume drawing of a woman with torch
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 306 x 205 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

671*1000
True Color
89 Kb



Costume drawing for a female figure with torch
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 303 x 205 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

670*1000
True Color
89 Kb



Costume drawing for a male figure with torch
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 314 x 203 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

653*1000
True Color
81 Kb



Costume drawing for a male figure with stave
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 314 x 211 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

673*1000
True Color
66 Kb



Costume drawing for a "necromancer"
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 210 x 169 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

801*1000
True Color
96 Kb



Costume drawing of a cook
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 305 x 202 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

654*1000
True Color
77 Kb



Costume drawing for man-at-arms
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 312 x 210 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

674*1000
True Color
91 Kb



Costume drawing for a knight
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 316 x 209 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

640*1000
True Color
92 Kb



Costume drawing for a knight
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 313 x 198 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

633*1000
True Color
71 Kb



Costume drawing for a knight
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 301 x 198 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

652*1000
True Color
80 Kb



Costume drawing for a knight on horseback
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 304 x 210 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

697*1000
True Color
99 Kb



Horse harness
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 181 x 270 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1200*799
True Color
116 Kb



Horse harness
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 165 x 238 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1100*755
True Color
111 Kb



Saddle for sleigh horse
1585
Pen, blue wash on white paper, 167 x 227 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1000*722
True Color
72 Kb



Saddle cover
1585
Blue chalk, lilac wash, gold on white paper, 183 x 235 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

1000*769
True Color
119 Kb




Summary of works by Arcimboldo
Paintings
Early works in Milan
Portraits for the Holy Roman Emperor
Allegories of the Seasons and the Elements
Composite and reversible heads
Graphics
Nature studies
Costumes and drawings for court festivities
Treatise on silk culture and manufacture
Various drawings