Plattegrond van de begane grond van het Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi te Genua 1622

Nicolaes Ryckmans made this floor plan of the Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi in Genoa with pen and brush in gray ink. This drawing provides a window into the spatial organization of an elite Genoese residence. Constructed during the city's golden age of maritime trade and banking, the Palazzo would have been a stage for the performance of power. The plan reveals a careful choreography of movement and access, with grand salons for receiving guests and more private chambers for family life. The imposing scale and symmetrical layout speak to the owner’s wealth and social standing. Ryckmans was active in the Netherlands. How did the artistic conventions of architectural representation travel across Europe? What role did images play in shaping social aspirations and cultural exchange? To further understand this work, archival records of the Carrega family and studies of Genoese social history would provide invaluable context. Art becomes meaningful through the web of social and institutional relations in which it exists.