Portret van Ferdinand II in ovaal 1613 - 1656

Cornelis Danckerts the First created this print of Ferdinand II sometime in the first half of the 17th century. The print is an engraving, a medium that allowed for relatively cheap reproduction and wide circulation. The print shows Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, in the formal trappings of state. The symbolic function of this type of portrait was to embody the power of the state in the person of the ruler. Consider the cultural context in which this image was made: the Thirty Years War was raging, a conflict with profound implications for the balance of power between Protestants and Catholics in Europe. Ferdinand was a staunch Catholic, and his policies aimed to restore Catholicism as the dominant religion in the Holy Roman Empire. To understand this print, historians consult a variety of sources, including official records, diplomatic correspondence, and contemporary accounts of political events. We consider the artwork to be contingent on the social and institutional context in which it was produced and consumed.