Title page 2: Medici coat of arms in bottom center, from "In Morte del Serenissimo Principe Francesco di Toscana, Orazione" 1634

Stefano della Bella created this title page in 1634 for a eulogy in honor of Francesco de’ Medici, using etching on a sheet of paper. As a title page, it frames and introduces a specific kind of public speech—a funeral oration—that was both a ritual of mourning and an opportunity to showcase political power. The page announces a eulogy delivered by Ferdinando Bardi before Ferdinando II, Francesco’s brother and the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Bardi was a member of the Duke’s court, so this was in effect a piece of state propaganda, reinforcing the Medici family’s authority. Note the prominent display of the Medici coat-of-arms, which would have been instantly recognizable to the audience for this oration. To fully understand the image's social and institutional function we can examine the history of the Medici family, the conventions of Baroque-era state portraiture, and the culture of court spectacle in Florence. Doing so reveals the complex interplay of art, power, and social hierarchy in 17th-century Italy.