Design for a Chalice (recto); Design for the Base of a Vase (verso) 1652 - 1725

Giovanni Foggini made this drawing of a chalice and vase base in pen and brown ink in Italy. It is reminiscent of the era's tendency to revive classicism. In Foggini’s time, academies were becoming influential institutions in the art world. They defined standards, and dictated what was aesthetically valuable. Looking at this drawing, we might ask, what kind of aesthetic and cultural values are being promoted by this emphasis on classical form? What kind of social class is likely to have the leisure time and money to commission this kind of work? And what kind of cultural capital did Foggini possess that allowed him to produce this design? These are the kinds of questions that social art historians ask when they look at art. We use a variety of resources to understand the social context of art, including letters, diaries, financial records, and other documents from the period.