Langsdoorsnede van het Palazzo Rostan Raggio te Genua 1622

Nicolaes Ryckmans created this print, *Langsdoorsnede van het Palazzo Rostan Raggio te Genua,* offering us a cross-section of the Palazzo. Ryckmans was born in Antwerp and worked in the Netherlands during the Dutch Golden Age, a period defined by economic prosperity and cultural flourishing. This architectural print provides a window into the domestic life of the Genoese elite, revealing the spatial organization of their homes. The Palazzo, with its multiple levels, speaks to a hierarchy which dictates who occupies which spaces. As you examine the print, consider the labor required to maintain such a structure, and who might have performed it. How do you imagine life unfolding within these walls? Whose stories are told, and whose are silenced by this representation of domestic space? While this print may seem like a neutral depiction, it's worth remembering the power dynamics inherent in any built environment. How might this influence our perception of Italian aristocratic life?