Bernardo Buontalenti, a stage designer and theater…

Bernardo Buontalenti, a stage designer and theater architect, had entered the service of the Medici as a youth and remained with them.

In the Uffizi Palace he has built a great court stage, where, during the winter of 1585–86, splendid fetes are produced under his direction.

For the Medici extravaganzas, he has designed costumes of allegorical characters—nymphs, the planets, gods, dragons, cherubs; he has constructed elaborate stage machinery for breathtaking effects; and he arranged spectacular firework displays, earning him the byname Bernardo Delle Girandole (Fireworks).

Buontalenti also designs palaces, gardens, fortresses, and villas and practices military engineering.

A brilliant stage technician, he is one of the original innovators of the Baroque theater and decorative arts.