Gevel op de binnenplaats van Palazzo del Quirinale en verticale doorsnede after 1655

Curator: Looking at Falda's "Gevel op de binnenplaats van Palazzo del Quirinale en verticale doorsnede," made after 1655, the first thing I notice is the sheer labor embedded within this engraving. Consider the manual skill required to produce such precise architectural details, repeated and mirrored. How does this intensive production influence your understanding of the image? Editor: It's incredibly detailed for an engraving. I guess I was focusing on the design itself, the Baroque style architecture, and not so much on the process of creating it. Seeing the side view especially makes me appreciate the craftsmanship a bit more. Why do you think the labor aspect is so crucial here? Curator: Well, let’s think about the social context. Who commissioned and consumed such prints? The aristocracy. These images, these meticulous replications, became commodities. They served to disseminate power through visual representation. Falda isn't just depicting a building, he's participating in a system that reproduces hierarchies. Do you see how the print functions almost like a miniature architectural project itself, demanding intense labour to advertise the grand designs and wealth of its patron? Editor: So it's like... the act of making the print, the labor, reinforces the power dynamics the building already represents? Like, it's luxury object *about* a luxurious building? Curator: Precisely! And think about the materials: the copperplate, the ink, the paper. Each component relies on specific extraction processes, trades, and economies. Consider how this echoes modern mass media reproductions. The labour that went into creating something we are mass producing today… Editor: That gives me a lot to think about in terms of architecture and class. I definitely have a new perspective on seeing buildings now. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Focusing on material conditions reveals so much about power structures embedded within art and architectural designs.