Langsdoorsnede van de Villa Giustiniani-Cambiaso te Genua 1622

Nicolaes Ryckmans made this print, "Langsdoorsnede van de Villa Giustiniani-Cambiaso te Genua," which resides in the Rijksmuseum. Born in Antwerp, Ryckmans's work offers a glimpse into the early 17th-century architectural tastes and the societal structures they represent. This cross-section of the Villa Giustiniani-Cambiaso doesn't just show us the layout of a building; it subtly reveals the hierarchies of its time. The grand scale of the villa speaks to the power and wealth of the Genoese elite, while the stark lines and precise details offer a counterpoint to the more ornamented styles of the past. Think about the labor required to construct such a place, and about who was allowed to move freely within its walls. What stories do these spaces hold, and whose voices were silenced within them? Ryckmans’s detailed rendering invites us to consider not just the aesthetics but also the socio-economic dynamics embedded in the villa's design.