Portret van kardinaal Lorenzo Raggi 1658 - 1679

Giuseppe Maria Testana made this print of Cardinal Lorenzo Raggi in Rome, sometime around 1647. It offers a glimpse into the visual strategies used to project power and status within the Catholic Church during the Baroque period. The print presents Raggi within an oval frame, flanked by heraldic symbols. His garments mark his high ecclesiastical rank. The inscription below details his titles and the date of his appointment as Cardinal. This image, made during the height of the Baroque papacy, reflects the Church's conscious effort to visually assert its authority through portraiture. To fully understand this print, we might look at the patronage networks of the Roman art world at this time, and the dynamics between artists, the Church, and the noble families, such as the Raggi, that sought to consolidate their influence. The history of the institution of the Catholic Church itself is relevant. It is a reminder that art, even portraiture, always exists within a social and institutional context.