Penny Lover

This is a painting by Della Rocca called “A Wealth of Treasure” . In this image we can see a woman that is painted naked, surrounded by a lot of jewelry, money and clothes, along with gold bracelets on her wrist and ankle. As we observe this picture, what catches our attention is precisely the wealth that it illustrates, and how comfortable the woman is depicted in the middle of all the affluence. By looking at it, we can assume that she lived a life of luxury and richness. Instantly, we certify that she was an important person that could get whatever she wanted by just snapping her fingers and chiefly, that is what this painting is trying to convey.

In the same way, the oil paintings that Berger discusses, were mainly used to show the people’s wealth and their power. As he states “these paintings were records of the confidence of those to whom ownership brought confidence” meaning that those portraits had the purpose to show rich people’s worthiness and everything that they could own. On the other hand, the European oil painting’s principal subject was merchandise (food) which served as a demonstration of what gold and money could buy. In contrast, this painting by Rocca, uses luxuries to represent wealth. In different ways, both are conveying the same.