Portret van jurist Giuseppe Averani 1755 - 1805

Gaetano Vascellini created this portrait of Giuseppe Averani using engraving techniques. Averani, a Florentine jurist and professor at the University of Pisa, is depicted with the accoutrements of his profession: the wig, gown, and hefty legal tomes. Engravings like this one played a crucial role in the 18th century, circulating images and ideas across Europe. In Averani's case, this portrait would have reinforced his authority as a legal scholar and prominent figure in Tuscan society. The choice of engraving, rather than painting, also speaks to a desire for wider accessibility, fitting for a public intellectual. We can see how these types of images are enmeshed in social and institutional histories by consulting archives from the University of Pisa, legal publications from the period, and records of the Florentine intellectual circles in which Averani moved. The portrait shows how visual culture helped to solidify the power and influence of learned elites in 18th-century Italy.