The Piazza Salimbeni in Sienna, Italy is home to the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest continuously operating bank in the world, and Tito Sarrocchi’s statue of the economist and politician Archdeacon Sallustio Bandini. The intersections of capital, architecture, public space, and works of art is the subject of this course. (Original photograph by Pablo Saludes Rodil on flickr. Original photograph of the Badini sculpture used in the thumbnail by Paolo Perini on flickr.)
Instructor(s)
Lauren Jacobi
MIT Course Number
4.663
As Taught In
Spring 2014
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
What was the early modern economy like, and how did monetization impact artistic production, consumption, and the afterlife of objects? This seminar-format class explores major topics and themes concerning interconnections between early modern artistic and architectural creation and the economy. We will approach capitalism not as an inevitable system, but rather as a particular historical formation. Core course themes: commodification, production, and consumption, using case studies of the impact of the mercantile economy on chapels; palaces; prints and paintings, and their replication; and other material objects, including coins.