Portret van kardinaal Joaquín Fernández de Portocarrero

This is Carlo Gregori’s portrait of Cardinal Joaquín Fernández de Portocarrero, rendered in printmaking around the mid-18th century. Encased within an oval frame, the cardinal is depicted with soft, gradated lines, creating a delicate tonal range. The composition is structured by a series of contrasting shapes. The geometric precision of the Maltese cross on the cardinal’s robe sharply contrasts with the fluid, organic lines of his wig. The heraldic shields in the upper corners add further layers of symbolic meaning, framing the cardinal as a figure of both spiritual and temporal authority. The very materiality of the print invites contemplation on the nature of representation and the dissemination of power. The formal qualities of the artwork, therefore, function as a mirror, reflecting the complex interplay between identity, authority, and representation in the 18th century.