Gezicht op Castel Gandolfo 1665 - 1667

Giovanni Battista Falda made this print of Castel Gandolfo in Italy, sometime in the second half of the 17th century. It's a bird's eye view of the town, as seen from Lake Albano, including the Papal Palace. This image speaks to the transformation of the Papacy in this period. As the Vatican lost its pan-European authority, it increasingly styled itself as a conventional Italian court. In this context, the Popes began investing heavily in the Papal States and turned to projects of territorial improvement. Castel Gandolfo became a favored retreat, offering respite from the heat of Rome. Prints such as this one played a key role in promoting the cultural prestige of the Papacy and they remind us that art institutions have always been shaped by the politics of their time. To understand it better, we can explore the political and social conditions that shaped artistic production in the Papal States.