Fontein voor de trap naar het Capitool te Rome 1637

Domenico Parasacchi created this delicate rendering of the fountain for the staircase to the Capitoline Hill in Rome sometime between 1600 and 1650. During this period, Rome was being transformed into a showcase of papal power and wealth. This image of a fountain, with its tiers and classical motifs, reflects the period's obsession with grandeur and order. Fountains were not just sources of water; they were potent symbols of power, wealth, and civic pride. The location of this particular fountain, leading up to the Capitoline Hill, underscores its symbolic importance, linking the flow of water to the flow of power and authority. It invites us to consider who had access to this space, and who was excluded. Through this artwork, we are reminded of how public spaces, even those designed for aesthetic pleasure, are always embedded with complex social and political meanings.