Plate VI, Four Bear Trainers with Bears and Monkeys, from Ballet of Bears with Parrots, Ballet by Jean Baptiste Balbi for "La Finta Pazza" c. 17th century

Editor: This is Valerio Spada's "Plate VI, Four Bear Trainers with Bears and Monkeys, from Ballet of Bears with Parrots, Ballet by Jean Baptiste Balbi for "La Finta Pazza"". The image is striking because it seems to portray a performance, but the treatment of animals is concerning. What sociopolitical messages do you think Spada is trying to convey? Curator: This print offers a glimpse into 17th-century courtly entertainment, but let's not romanticize it. Consider the power dynamics: these trainers, likely from marginalized communities themselves, exert control over animals for the amusement of the elite. What does this spectacle tell us about the social hierarchies of the time? Editor: It speaks to the exploitation inherent in entertainment. I hadn't considered the trainers' positionality. Curator: Exactly. Spada's work invites us to confront uncomfortable truths about class, labor, and our relationship with the natural world, even within the context of "art." Editor: I see the layers now; it's not just a ballet. Curator: Precisely. It’s a reflection of societal imbalances.