A Faceless Society? Portraiture and the Politics of Display in Eighteenth‐century Rome

Abstract

In eighteenth‐century Europe portraiture held an important function within the art collections of the elite. The genre had an aesthetic purpose but also a strong social one. Portrait displays were frequent within domestic spaces that held a particular dignity but also offered public accessibility. Portraiture constituted in this sense the elite families a social guarantee and manifested the continuity of their social achievements. However, this general overview may be questioned if we move beyond the all‐too‐often cited examples of the monarchies of Britain and France. Instead, this article examines the social use of portraiture in eighteenth century Rome with particular reference to the structures of social manifestations of certain papal families.