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Plan of the Garden of the Grand Duke of Tuscany

Giovanni Battista Falda

The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University

The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University
Atlanta, United States

In the plan of the Villa Medici, at the top right (no. 6) there is an artificial hill that Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici had built up on top of a grotto or nymphaeum that was a relic of the ancient garden. This hill had a fountain decorated with a statue of Pegasus at the top and was meant to invoke Mount Parnassus, the home of the Muses. Visitors could climb to the summit via a spiral path and there find magnificent views over the entire city and also, perhaps, poetic inspiration. Today the villa houses the French Academy.

Details

  • Title: Plan of the Garden of the Grand Duke of Tuscany
  • Creator: Giovanni Battista Falda
  • Physical Dimensions: 22 x 28 1/16 in. (55.9 x 71.3 cm)
  • Provenance: Ex coll. Rudolf Wittkower (1901-1971), Europe and United States. Purchased for MCCM by Emory University Art History Department from Ursus Books Limited, New York, New York.
  • Subject Keywords: Intaglio
  • Rights: © Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Bruce M. White
  • External Link: https://collections.carlos.emory.edu/objects/5423/
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dates: First published 1677, MCCM edition published ca. 1688
  • Classification: Works of Art on Paper

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