Portraits as a Sign of Possession : Cardinals and their Protectorships in Early Modern Rome

Abstract

Cardinals’ portraits were not only intended for private residences and painted by famous artists, but were also produced in multiple copies of variable quality that still can be found on the art market. In these paintings, often based on portrait prints, likeness or artistic merit were not the most important criteria. Inventories show that most of these copies were actually made for religious institutions, such as orders and confraternities, of which these cardinals were appointed protector. This essay deals with the question of how and when these portraits were obtained and where they were displayed; by means of this spatial contextualization, it explains the legal function of these portraits within these institutions.