Cardinal Mazarin, ministre d'Anne d'Autriche et de Louis XIV 1605 - 1650

Jean Morin created this engraving of Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister to the French crown, in the mid-17th century. This was a period in which France was establishing itself as the dominant European power and portraits like this helped to establish the authority of its leading figures. Note how the image creates meaning. Mazarin is framed by an elaborate border bearing his honorific titles, associating him with the power of the church and state. The composition conveys the Cardinal's high status and cultivated persona. It also demonstrates the close connection between powerful political figures and the institutions of art, and how those institutions were used to reinforce social hierarchies. To fully understand this work, historians consult letters, diaries, and official records to discover how political leaders like Mazarin used images to shape their public image, and how those images circulated within French society. It reminds us that the meaning of art is always linked to its social and institutional context.