Portret van Azzone Visconti 1549 - 1575

This is an engraving, presumably made sometime in the medieval period, depicting Azzone Visconti, who was an Italian nobleman. It's an anonymous work, and there are no references to race, gender, or class. What interests me most here is the portrait's relationship to power and representation. Visconti was a powerful figure, and this image, despite its small size, served to reinforce his status. The profile view, a common trope in portraiture of the time, lends an air of classical authority. Enclosed in the frame and the cherubic figures are suggestive of wealth, status, and divine favor. Although modest, this engraving offers insight into the construction of identity through art, highlighting how even seemingly simple images can perpetuate hierarchies and shape historical narratives.