Gezicht op Villa Pliniana aan het Comomeer

Louis Cherbuin created this lithograph of the Villa Pliniana on Lake Como in the 19th century. Cherbuin was born in Switzerland, at a time when landscape prints were very popular among European tourists who visited the continent’s picturesque sites. This image presents the villa, nestled at the foot of forested mountains and reflected in the calm waters of Lake Como. At the time the print was made, the area was known as a retreat for the wealthy. What does it mean that, even as the print aestheticizes the Italian landscape, it also implicitly turns it into a playground for the upper classes? The lithograph thus evokes the complex relationship between seeing and owning, desire and access. By allowing a broader audience to access imagery of exclusive spaces, Cherbuin’s print both democratizes and reinforces a particular vision of wealth and beauty. What desires and fantasies does this image awaken for you?