First edition of this rare work, which illustrates and interprets the complex system of allegories and symbols linked to the celebratory procession organized on the occasion of the wedding between Francesco de' Medici, son of Cosimo, and Joanna of Austria, niece of Charles V.

The Discourse on the Masquerade of the Genealogy of the Gods of the Gentiles (1565) is a Renaissance booklet that serves to explain and comment on a great Medici court celebration held in Florence. It was published in 1565 in Florence, printed by Giunti, and attributed to Baccio Baldini. During these celebrations, a spectacular masquerade (allegorical parade) called the “Genealogy of the Gods of the Gentiles” was organized, with triumphal chariots and costumes inspired by classical mythology.
The work describes the 21 allegorical floats and the characters in the parade, interprets the mythological figures (Greek and Roman gods), clarifies the symbolic and political meaning of the performance, and helps the audience understand the festival's complex iconographic program. The project involved a vast team of architects, sculptors, and painters led by Vasari, who transformed Florence into a stage set inspired by the imagery of ancient Rome.
The Discourse on the Masquerade is therefore a sort of official explanatory guide to a grandiose Medici celebration: it serves to "decode" the mythological and political meaning of the allegorical parade, typical of sixteenth-century Florentine court culture.