Zwei allegorische Frauenfiguren mit Putten auf Wolken (Virtù und Nobilità) 

Here we see Gaspare Diziani’s chalk and brush drawing of two allegorical female figures with putti on clouds, entitled Virtù and Nobilità. Diziani created this piece during the height of the Rococo movement in Venice. The figures symbolize virtue and nobility, which were highly valued ideals within the aristocratic society of 18th-century Venice. These figures are presented as powerful women, which challenges the traditional gender roles of the time. The intersection of gender, class, and power is evident in this artwork, as Diziani both reinforces and subverts societal expectations. The drawing invites us to consider the complex interplay between the idealized image of women and the lived realities of those who occupied different positions within the rigid social hierarchy of the Venetian Republic. Diziani offers an alternative narrative of female empowerment and the negotiation of identity within a society defined by strict social norms, while celebrating the beauty and grace of the human form.