Portret Francisco Hurtado de Mendoza 1600

Jacob Matham produced this engraving of Francisco Hurtado de Mendoza in 1600. The Admiral of Aragon is framed by an oval containing text about his life, whilst further text detailing events from 1600 lies underneath. As a historian, the relationship between portraiture and the culture it inhabits fascinates me. Here, the image and text promote the Admiral’s image while informing viewers about his activities. The details below the portrait relate to The Battle of Nieuwpoort of 1600, a key event in the Eighty Years War between the Dutch Republic and Spain. Mendoza commanded the Spanish forces that lost the battle, a defeat from which his reputation never recovered. This engraving must be understood as being part of a wider public sphere which was vital to statecraft. Disseminated as prints, portraits like this helped to shape opinions, while they also cemented social hierarchies. Accessing archives and libraries allows us to understand the social and institutional contexts that underpin artistic production.