The Roman curia with guards in the anteroom; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno' 1674

Mathäus Küsel made this print of a stage design called 'The Roman curia with guards in the anteroom; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno' using engraving. Here, Küsel represents an interior, likely for a performance in a courtly context in the Holy Roman Empire. We see the spatial politics of the court on display: guards flank the foreground while courtiers are seated in the distance. This print gives us access to the way space was organized and understood within the institution of the court. This is useful for understanding the politics of imagery. This design is rendered with close attention to detail and ornament. What can this tell us about the values of the court? The print demonstrates that art is contingent on social and institutional context. Historians consult prints and other documentary sources to better understand the cultural and political forces at play in the history of art and performance.