Tønne Juul, øverste del 1684 - 1685

Hubert Schaten created this print, "Tønne Juul, øverste del", likely in Denmark sometime before his death in 1697. We see an angel, framed within classical architectural elements, blowing a trumpet that bears a coat-of-arms. The Juul family was a part of the Danish nobility, and heraldry was an important tool for marking social status in late 17th-century Europe. This print would have helped to publicly identify the family, its values, and its history. The visual codes here link the family to power and even the divine, reflecting the hierarchical nature of European society at the time. Artists were often commissioned to create imagery that supported the prevailing social order. Looking at Schaten’s print today, we can use genealogical databases, historical archives, and art historical sources to better understand the place of the Juul family in Danish society and the institutions through which they maintained their status. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.