Dwarsdoorsnede van de Villa Spinola di San Pietro te Genua 1622

This is Nicolaes Ryckmans' 'Cross-section of the Villa Spinola di San Pietro in Genoa', made around the early 17th century. Ryckmans, a Flemish artist active in Italy, captures the architectural details of the Genoese villa through precise lines and geometric forms. The drawing offers more than a mere depiction of a building; it provides insight into the societal structures of the time. The Villa Spinola, owned by a powerful Genoese family, symbolizes wealth, status, and the consolidation of power within the aristocracy. Ryckmans' depiction of the Villa is clinical, yet it speaks volumes about the lives of those who inhabited and were excluded from such spaces. Consider how the design reflects not only aesthetic preferences but also the social hierarchies embedded in domestic life. How did the inhabitants traverse these spaces and how did this inform their identities? This cross-section invites us to reflect on the architecture as a stage for the performance of gender, class, and power in early modern Italy.