Portrait of Giovanni Girolamo Sbaraglia, within an oval flanked by two putti on cornucopias, with a cartouche below 1716

Donato Creti made this engraving in 1716, a portrait of Giovanni Girolamo Sbaraglia, framed by putti and cornucopias. The visual codes point to Sbaraglia's status; the putti, symbols of divine favor, and cornucopias, overflowing with bounty, suggest Sbaraglia was favored by both heaven and earth. Creti was working in Bologna at a time when the city was under Papal control. This print can tell us about the power structures of the time. Sbaraglia was a celebrated medic, meaning he was likely associated with the city's elite and Papal authorities. The very act of commissioning such a portrait speaks to Sbaraglia's self-conscious participation in the construction of his public image and legacy. To understand this image more fully, one might research the patronage networks in Bologna at the time, and the role of the Church in artistic production. The meaning of art lies not just in the image itself, but in the web of social and institutional relations that brought it into being.