Erik Juel 1655 - 1659

This print of Erik Juel was made by Albert Haelwegh in the 17th century. It gives us insight into the social hierarchy and the politics of imagery at the time. The inscription tells us that Erik Juel was an important senator and prefect in Denmark, and the image shows him in formal dress with a square collar and dark robe. In northern European society at this time, portraits like this were commissioned by or for the sitter, as status symbols affirming their place in the social hierarchy. They tell us about the consolidation of power in the hands of the ruling elite. To understand this image better, historians would look at the Juel family history, and the history of the Danish senate, and think about how the institutions of politics shaped the production of images. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.