| Summary: | Miniatures, often depicting small portraits of sovereigns, were often diplomatic gifts, particularly at wedding ceremonies. However, this type of gift was more rarely bestowed between the Pope's representatives, the nuncios, and foreign rulers. The Pope's special relationship with imagery, and his special role in Christianity, oscillating between the spiritual representative of religion and political sovereign, led to a specific relationship with miniatures, which were only offered on rare occasions. The aim is to show on what specific occasions miniatures were presented to the Pope's ambassadors, or offered by the Pope himself to foreign sovereigns, and what material and spiritual value was given to it by contemporaries. Finally, the real effectiveness of miniatures in the exchanges between the major European powers - France, England, Spain and the Empire - and the Holy See will be discussed.
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