Chargement d'une Galerie de l'Ordre de St. Etienne

In a bustling scene, there is a melting pot of people from various social classes who ordinarily wouldn’t be intermixed outside of the unique space of the port. A grand trade ship is being loaded by enslaved people and laborers as elites give orders and look on. In the center, stately women stand amidst the lively activity. Della Bella draws our attention to the ways in which trade and colonialism enriched the lives of wealthy elites through his depiction of the port and sculpture of a restrained Black man in the Italian city of Livorno.

The conditions of the European port of Livorno can provide insight into the socio-political situation of Spanish-controlled land during this time, as there existed an imperial relationship between Spain and Italy. Similar to the hybridity displayed in this image, ports throughout Spain and Spanish America were complex places with fluid interpersonal relationships.