BUONTALENTI, BERNARDO

born 1536?, Florence died June 25/26, 1608, Florence byname Bernardo Delle Girandole (Fireworks) Florentine stage designer and theatre architect. Buontalenti entered the service of the Medici as a youth and remained with them the rest of his life. In the Uffizi Palace, Florence, he built a great court stage, where, during the winter of 158586, splendid fetes were produced under his direction. For the Medici extravaganzas, he designed costumes of allegorical charactersnymphs, the planets, gods, dragons, cherubs; he constructed elaborate stage machinery for breathtaking effects; and he arranged spectacular firework displays. Buontalenti also designed palaces, gardens, fortresses, and villas and practiced military engineering. Important to scenic history are his extant drawings and engravings for intermezzi (i.e., interludes composed of pantomimes with madrigals) in 1589. A brilliant stage technician, he was one of the original innovators of the Baroque theatre and decorative arts.