Portrait of Cardinal Giulio Spinola 

Editor: This is a portrait of Cardinal Giulio Spinola by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, created with oil paint. The rich textures and details of the fabrics are what really stand out to me. What are your thoughts on this piece? Curator: Considering the historical context, what strikes me is the display of wealth through materiality. Notice the painstaking rendering of the Cardinal’s robes: the specific dye used for that red would have been incredibly expensive, signalling status and power. How does the materiality here reflect social standing? Editor: So the value isn't just aesthetic, it's also about showing the resources available? The lace cuffs must have taken a lot of time to create too, right? Curator: Precisely. Lace making, at the time, was a specialized and laborious craft. Its inclusion speaks volumes about the Cardinal's access to skilled labor and the global trade networks that brought these materials into being. And it begs the question: who made the Cardinal's clothes, and what were their working conditions like? These material details invite us to question the relationship between art, labor, and power. Editor: It is quite something to think that each object had a life that went beyond just being in this painting! I hadn’t considered that before. Thanks for that perspective! Curator: My pleasure! Analyzing art through the lens of material production offers a richer understanding of its social and historical significance.