Portret van kardinaal Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero 1669 - 1679

Albertus Clouwet produced this engraving of Cardinal Luis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero in 1669. The portrait’s formal qualities, such as the oval frame and heraldic emblems, place the Cardinal in a lineage of power and authority. Produced in Rome, the print signals the Cardinal’s Spanish nationality at a time of immense social and political change. Portocarrero lived during a period when the Spanish Empire was in decline, weakened by war and economic instability. Yet the Catholic Church maintained significant influence in Spain and throughout Europe. As a cardinal, Portocarrero was part of this powerful institution that shaped social norms, political structures, and cultural life. For historians, a print like this offers a wealth of information. We can examine the Cardinal’s role in the Spanish court, the Church’s influence, and the social conditions that shaped artistic production. These sources can help us to understand the complex interplay between art, power, and society.