Le Fontane delle Ville di Frascati nel Tusculano con li Loro Prospetti 1691

This print by Giovanni Battista Falda, made in Rome in the late 17th century, depicts a lavish fountain in the Villa Belvedere, a site of aristocratic leisure. Consider the politics of imagery during the Baroque period. The Villa Belvedere, with its elaborate fountains and sculptures, was a stage for demonstrating wealth, power, and refined taste. Falda’s print serves as a visual record of this display and could be commissioned to further solidify the family's status through circulation. Note the inclusion of figures in contemporary dress who are visiting the space: this print is part of a broader culture of architectural representation aimed at both celebrating and disseminating specific images of power. To understand this work fully, we might consult period guidebooks, architectural treatises, and social histories that would allow us to examine the conditions that led to the creation of the villa in the first place. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.