Design for an Entrance Portal 1652 - 1725

Editor: Here we have Giovanni Battista Foggini’s "Design for an Entrance Portal," dating sometime between 1652 and 1725. It’s a drawing in pencil. What strikes me is how monumental it feels, despite just being a sketch. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, given that this drawing is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it's hard not to immediately consider its role within the institutional context. A design for a portal suggests access, transition. In the context of Foggini’s time, these entrances often weren’t merely functional. What sort of status do you think a portal like this would convey? Editor: Grandeur, power…it feels like it’s signaling wealth. Were these types of designs intended for private residences, or were they more public-facing? Curator: The line between the “private” and “public” was actually much more blurred than we often assume today. Powerful families used architecture as a display, projecting their authority outward. An entrance like this certainly wouldn't be out of place on a palazzo, communicating wealth and cultivated taste, but also shaping the urban landscape. It dictates who has access, both physically and symbolically. Editor: That’s interesting! So the architecture isn’t just aesthetic, but also reinforces social hierarchies. I had not considered that. Curator: Exactly. The visual language of architecture plays a key role in establishing social order and defining roles. Considering this, what effect do you think repeated designs or aesthetic styles had during that period? Editor: Probably conformity to a certain status, not straying from expected grandeur. It becomes almost like branding. Curator: Precisely! It reveals so much about power, representation and public perception in the period. Editor: Thank you so much! This reframed my perspective, I will start analyzing the social impact, not just the aesthetics!