ABSTRACT
This chapter sets the stage for the gradual appearance of Neptune in Cosimo I’s Florence, starting with the Duke’s wedding to Eleonora in 1539. Marine deities express Cosimo’s ties with the Habsburgs, the development of the coastal frontier and the crafting of his persona as a queller of discord and bringer of prosperity. The rise of Neptune in maritime centers outside of Florence is chronicled – a phenomenon tied to the growing naval power of Charles V and the influence of traveling Florentine sculptors. How Florence was situated within this artistic and politicized dialogue is examined, especially with regard to Andrea Doria and Genoa. Looking at the 1540s–1550s in Florence, the chapter traces a gradual but marked emergence of Neptune in a variety of contexts alongside crucial initiatives in water management and aqueduct construction as well as maritime development. Examples in Giorgio Vasari’s redecoration of the rooms of the Palazzo Vecchio convey lofty and complex propagandistic cycles reflecting the role of humanist advisors like Vincenzo Borghini and Cosimo Bartoli that would set the tone for art and festivals to follow.
