Rosalba Carriera after 1749

Curator: Here we have Joseph Wagner's engraving "Rosalba Carriera," currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. It measures roughly 33 by 23 centimeters. Editor: She looks like she’s peering out from a snow globe, a bit quizzical and cozy all at once. Curator: It's interesting to consider the role of Joseph Smith here, ensuring Carriera's effigy was spread through engraving. What power dynamics do you suppose were at play? Editor: Well, it makes me think about patronage and representation, about who gets to control the image and narrative. Even the fur seems like a calculated assertion of status. Curator: Exactly. The gaze, the setting...all contribute to a constructed identity, reinforcing specific social hierarchies of the time. It reveals as much about the societal norms as it does about the sitter. Editor: I see a desire for permanence, a way to hold onto a moment. Curator: Indeed. It prompts reflection on the intertwined threads of gender, class, and artistic agency. Editor: I’m taking away a sense of controlled presentation. Curator: It's a reminder that art is always embedded in complex social and political fabrics.