Paardenrace op het plein voor de Santa Maria Novella tijdens de Corsa dei Cocchi 1744 - 1800

Johann Sebastian Müller etched this print of a horse race in Florence's Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Müller, who died in 1790, was working within a long tradition of vedute, or view paintings, designed to capture cityscapes for a growing tourist market. But this is more than a straightforward record. The race, which took place annually on the eve of the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, was a carefully staged event, an expression of civic pride in which the city's guilds competed for prestige. The architecture surrounding the square—the church itself, the loggia, and the aristocratic palaces—functions as a backdrop, reinforcing the social and institutional context. The print provides valuable data. The dress of the crowds, the temporary structures erected for the event, and the presence of both locals and visitors all speak to the character of Florence in the 18th century. We can learn so much about the city through an image like this, accessing archival records, guidebooks, and other visual materials to gain an understanding.