Wealth and Benefits of the Spanish Monarchy under Charles III 1762

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo painted this allegorical ceiling fresco, entitled 'Wealth and Benefits of the Spanish Monarchy under Charles III', at an unknown date. The opulence of the Spanish monarchy is on full display here, but it's important to consider what this wealth was built upon. Tiepolo doesn't shy away from depicting the monarchy's global reach, but this comes at the cost of acknowledging the exploitation and extraction that fueled it. Amidst the swirling figures and symbolic representations of prosperity, we must ask ourselves: whose wealth are we really celebrating? What does it mean to glorify a system that perpetuated inequality and oppression? The emotional impact of this work lies in its ability to provoke these questions, challenging us to confront the complex legacies of power and privilege.