Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Barberini the Younger 1599 - 1661

Andrea Sacchi rendered this red chalk drawing of Cardinal Antonio Barberini the Younger in seventeenth-century Italy. The Barberini family was immensely powerful, especially during the papacy of Antonio's uncle, Urban VIII. It is difficult to look at this drawing and separate it from the widespread system of nepotism that characterized the period. The best positions in the Catholic Church were held by members of a select group of families, and here we have a portrait of one of them. The art of portraiture thus served a distinct social function in early modern Europe, reinforcing status and circulating power. Historians of the period draw on sources like diaries, letters, and financial accounts to better understand the role of art and patronage in the lives of powerful families like the Barberini. In doing so, we gain insight into the social conditions that shaped artistic production.