Designs for Archways and Baldachins with Caryatids and Coats of Arms (Recto). Design for a Monument with Statues of Prudence and Fortitude (Verso). 1652 - 1725

Editor: This is Giovanni Battista Foggini’s “Designs for Archways and Baldachins with Caryatids and Coats of Arms (Recto). Design for a Monument with Statues of Prudence and Fortitude (Verso).” Created sometime between 1652 and 1725, it’s ink on paper. It's hard not to be captivated by the sheer ornateness of these designs. How would you interpret Foggini's vision here? Curator: You know, sometimes I feel like I’m peering through a keyhole into the opulent dreams of the Baroque. Imagine the sheer theatricality of spaces adorned with these elements. It is interesting to see this, as the use of these elements would evoke authority and a grand architectural statement. It’s almost as if Foggini is not just designing structures, but crafting mini-stages for power, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I see what you mean. So the theatricality extends beyond mere aesthetics, to embody authority. Were these designs typical of the period? Curator: Absolutely. During the Baroque, the Church and aristocracy were eager to convey status. Think of Versailles –it’s all about power, isn’t it? And in terms of how artists worked in those times, drawings such as this would not only have served the artists as aides-mémoires and as models from which other works of art could be created, but the works were objects of art for display. This could explain the high level of completion. But really, what catches your eye the most in this drawing? Is it the detail, the ambition, or perhaps the hidden stories within? Editor: For me, it’s definitely the ambition and imagining these as real, constructed things. It is one thing to draw something, but to have this translated to life on a monumental scale? Pretty incredible. Curator: Agreed, the potential for monumentality is impressive! These sketches allow one to envision that past while allowing our imagination to continue to build on his vision.