Gondel met allegorische figuren 1679

This is Antonio Francesco Lucini’s etching, *Gondel met allegorische figuren*, made around 1679 in Venice. In the 17th century, Venice was a major centre for artistic innovation, but also for elaborate public spectacles intended to impress. This print depicts a gondola laden with allegorical figures, likely part of a theatrical procession on the water. Look closely and you will see that each figure represents an idea, and together they form a complex symbolic tableau. We can see how the artist has used the gondola to display a vision of Venice as a place of beauty and harmony, full of cultural richness. However, such displays of wealth and power papered over a more complex reality. Venice, for all its splendor, was also a rigidly hierarchical society. Works such as this invite us to consider whose stories were being told. While it's an incredible spectacle, it is also a pointed form of social messaging. How might such a procession have felt for those excluded from its celebration? Through this allegorical scene, Lucini offers not just an image, but a perspective on Venice’s complex social fabric.