Drie vrouwen dragen een medaillon met het portret van Antonio Barberini (II) 1625 - 1637

Claude Mellan created this print, "Three Women Carrying a Medallion with the Portrait of Antonio Barberini (II)," using engraving techniques. The work immediately strikes one with its meticulous detail and classical arrangement. Figures, architecture, and text are unified through Mellan's masterful manipulation of line and form. The print's structural clarity echoes the period's interest in rational order and design. Note how the composition is vertically oriented: three allegorical figures, presumably Faith, Hope, and Charity are rendered to support the central medallion portrait of Antonio Barberini, and the inscription 'De S. Spiritvs Adventv Oratio’ Semiotically, the piece speaks to the Barberini family's ambition for immortality and their connection to divine virtues through a highly structured visual language. Mellan's print utilizes the visual codes of his era to communicate power, virtue, and divine favor, reflecting the complex interplay of art, politics, and religion in the Baroque era.