Design for Cartouche with Banners, Drums, Leaves and a Woman's Head with Tiara. 1732 - 1802

Carlo Bianconi created this design for a cartouche with pen and brown ink, and gray wash, heightened with white gouache in the late 18th century. During this time, cartouches were used architecturally and decoratively to frame inscriptions, coats of arms, or portraits. Bianconi’s design gives us insight into the values of the period, specifically around gender and power. A woman’s head with a tiara sits atop the cartouche, suggesting a feminine association with nobility or virtue. However, the surrounding motifs—banners, drums, and leaves—evoke military and celebratory themes, creating a contrast between feminine representation and symbols of masculine authority. The tiara suggests a connection to a ruling class, but it also begs us to think about the limited roles afforded to women in positions of power, often mediated by their relationships to men. It seems Bianconi asks us to consider the visual language of power and how gender is implicated in its display.