The Architecture of a Photograph: Deconstructing La Castiglione’s Scherzo di follia

“Reading” a photograph, compared to just looking at one, implies a complex perceptual experience layering compositional aspects, background information, and even preconceptions. Nevertheless, this process of deconstructing the image might really become fascinating, if the object of the study is a human portrait. Thus, the paper proposes an insight into the life of one of the most mysterious women in history, Virginia Oldoïni Vérasis, Countess de Castiglione. The analysis will focus especially on her portrait, Scherzo di follia.

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