Orazio Scarabelli

Orazio Scarabelli was an artist active for a brief, defined period between 1589 and 1592. His documented output focuses almost exclusively on recording the elaborate court culture of late sixteenth-century Florence, specifically the grand visual spectacles organized for the 1589 wedding of Archduke Ferdinand I de’ Medici and Christine of Lorraine.

Scarabelli’s work, primarily represented by prints and contributions to books, captured the temporary architecture and staged performances intrinsic to the celebratory environment. Five works or series related to these festivities are held in major American collections, establishing his professional credibility as a visual chronicler of the period.

Notable works represented in museum collections include the Third Triumphal Arch at the ‘Canto dei Carnesecchi’ and documentation of the elaborate staged water battle, the Naumachia in the Courtyard of Palazzo Pitti. Other documented prints depict the Triumphal Float in a Garden with Pavilions and the Court of Palazzo Pitti decorated with Candelabra.

The verifiable existence of Orazio Scarabelli prints in institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago underscores their historical importance. Today, these documentary works are often made available through museum digital archives, ensuring that downloadable artwork derived from the original materials contributes to scholarly research. Access to these works, which are frequently in the public domain, allows for the production of high-quality prints reflecting Scarabelli’s focused career.