Seated Justice 1579 - 1649

Castellino Castello made this small drawing of Seated Justice with pen and ink in the 17th century. The image encapsulates the virtues Renaissance rulers hoped to embody, presenting Justice as a woman with a sword in each hand. In early modern Europe, the concept of justice was inseparable from social hierarchy. Legal systems upheld distinctions between nobles and commoners, men and women. Castello worked for the Dukes of Parma. We might ask, then, whether this drawing flatters their self-image. Is it a reminder to the Duke of his duties, or simply a celebration of his power? To explore this question, historians might consult legal documents from Castello’s time or study the iconography of justice in other artworks, seeing how they are shaped by the interests of patrons and the conventions of the time. After all, the meaning of art always depends on the social and institutional contexts in which it is made and viewed.