Zingende rijkaard en de huilende armoedzaaier 1691

Giuseppe Maria Mitelli made this print, "The Singing Rich Man and the Crying Pauper," in Italy in the late 17th or early 18th century. The image and accompanying text contrast the lives of the wealthy and the impoverished. Mitelli made this work during a period of economic disparity and social unrest in Europe. We see the privileged classes enjoying lives of luxury while others struggled for basic survival. The print employs visual codes familiar to its contemporary audience, such as clothing and posture, to convey the vast differences in social status. The institutions of art, like the print market, played a role in both reflecting and shaping perceptions of wealth and poverty. By examining economic records, social commentaries, and other period documents, we can better understand the complex interplay between art and society. Studying artworks in relation to their historical context reveals the power of images to comment on the social structures of their time.