Ferdinand II 1828

Josef Kriehuber made this lithograph of Ferdinand II sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It’s a formal portrait meant to convey the power and authority of the Habsburg monarch who ruled the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years War. Note how the trappings of royalty – the crown, the sword, the ermine cape – all work to create an image of divinely sanctioned authority. This image would have circulated widely across the Austrian Empire. The Habsburgs were masters of visual propaganda, using images like this to shore up their legitimacy. It is worth remembering that Kriehuber was working at a time when the Habsburgs were under increasing pressure from nationalist movements and liberal reformers. Historical sources and visual culture archives can shed light on this complex period. By studying such sources, we can better understand the relationship between art, power, and social change.