Het grafmonument van Francesco Algarotti in het Campo Santo te Pisa 1769

This is Giovanni Volpato’s engraving of the Tomb of Francesco Algarotti in the Campo Santo in Pisa, made in the late 18th century. Algarotti was a venetian polymath - philosopher, art critic, and an advisor to Frederick the Great. He promoted Newtonian science in Italy. The print depicts Algarotti’s tomb, designed by Carlo Bianconi, and is flanked by onlookers representing the educated elite, and the abject poor. This juxtaposition embodies the enlightenment emphasis on reason and progress, but it also subtly reveals the socio-economic inequalities of the time. Algarotti, an advisor to monarchs, was part of a privileged class that shaped cultural and intellectual discourse, while the less fortunate remained on the margins. Volpato's print serves as a poignant reflection on power, knowledge, and the disparities within 18th-century European society. It is a visual commentary on who gets remembered, and how.