For the 400th anniversary of Queen Christina of Sweden’s birth, the museum has refurbished room 74 and placed 17 works from her collection on display. The gallery is now a permanent tribute to the queen.
The Prado Museum in Madrid has redesigned room 74 as a tribute to Queen Christina of Sweden and her sculpture collection. To mark the 400th anniversary of her birth, the museum and the Swedish Embassy in Spain have organised a programme of events. The refurbished room, together with the Hall of the Muses, is now a permanent space devoted to the queen and her role as a collector.
The number of works displayed in room 74 has risen from nine to 17. They include the central “Sleeping Ariadne,” two heads of Athena, several depictions of Venus, busts of Antinous and Achilles, the nymph Clytie and a portrait of Christina by Sébastien Bourdon. The sculptures are shown against black walls and on shelves designed to evoke classical cabinets.
The adjoining Hall of the Muses displays eight sculptures Christina bought in 1670 for her Roman palace. Thalia, Muse of comedy, stands on a wood-and-marble pedestal commissioned by the queen; the other pedestals are usually kept at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso. A 1651 edition of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Treatise on Painting” is also on view in a case for three months.
The Prado notes that Christina was passionate about ancient sculpture and supported the arts after abdicating the Swedish throne in 1654. She settled in Rome, where her circle included artists and intellectuals. Prince Daniel of Sweden attended the opening alongside Swedish Ambassador Per-Arne Hjelmborn, museum board president Javier Solana and Prado director Miguel Falomir.