Portret van Franz Jozef I von Liechtenstein 1749 - 1796

Johann Ernst Mansfeld created this engraving of Franz Jozef I von Liechtenstein sometime in the late 18th century. It offers insight into the visual culture of aristocratic power in Central Europe. The image deploys a formal visual language, a language of ovals and rectangles, of Latin inscriptions and heraldic devices, to convey the status of its subject. Consider the context in which it was made. The small principality of Liechtenstein, located between Austria and Switzerland, had only recently been formed through the union of several lordships. For the new state, visual representations of its rulers were an essential tool for consolidating power and prestige. The formal attire of the subject, including the wig, jacket, and medals, all were tools for portraying status. Historians use resources like family papers, state documents, and studies of costume to understand the full meaning of art like this. Its meaning is contingent on the social and institutional context.