Cambio di Milan (The Money Exchange of Milan)

This engraved satire depicts a chaotic financial transaction, likely mocking currency speculation or corrupt banking practices during the War of Spanish Succession. Two figures—rendered with exaggerated features characteristic of early 18th-century caricature—haggle over coins displayed on a table marked with denominations. The scene ridicules greed and dishonest commerce through distorted physiognomy and theatrical gesture. Created in the tradition of Northern European print satire established by Hogarth and anticipating Gillray, this etching-engraving uses grotesque caricature to expose financial malfeasance. The elaborate costume and architectural setting anchor the satire in a specific moment of economic turmoil, while the comic visual language—distorted bodies, symbolic objects—would become fundamental to later comic strips and graphic narratives.