Vier portretten van keizer Karel de Grote 1729 - 1733

Dominique Sornique created this print, titled “Four Portraits of Emperor Charlemagne,” sometime in the 18th century. It’s an engraving, meaning the image was incised into a metal plate, inked, and then pressed onto paper. Prints like this one were often commissioned by institutions, like the Rijksmuseum where this piece is now held. It demonstrates the enduring interest in Charlemagne as a symbol of power and a founder of European civilization. The composition presents a historicized view, referencing earlier sculptural and painted representations of Charlemagne, and idealizing him as a noble and pious ruler. The architectural models he holds signify his patronage of religious institutions. To fully understand this image, we must look to the historical context in which it was made and ask, what was the function of this image? What did it mean for 18th-century viewers to see Charlemagne represented in this way? The answers to these questions can be found in the archives, libraries, and collections that preserve the visual and textual traces of the past.