Le Grand Duc fait fortifier le Port de Livourne [The Great Duke Strengthens the Port of Livorno], from La Vie de Ferdinand I de Médicis [The Life of Ferdinand I de Medici]

This plate comes from a series of sixteen commissioned by Cosimo II de' Medici to honor his father, Ferdinando I, who had died five years earlier. Ten of the scenes depict military scenes, while the others show public works or political events. All are based on designs by the Florentine painter Matteo Rosselli with substantial elaboration by Callot. Conceived as an extension of the Life of the Medici designed by Stradanus and engraved in Antwerp, the series maintains their format and the technique of pure engraving, which is exceptional for Callot.