Museo del Prado opens new room for Queen Christina of Sweden's sculptures

The Museo del Prado has inaugurated a new permanent space in Room 74 of the Villanueva Building dedicated to the sculptural collection of Queen Christina of Sweden. The reorganization commemorates the 400th anniversary of her birth in 1626.

The new exhibition brings together classical pieces that were previously dispersed throughout the museum. The display features seventeen works, including the 17th-century marble ‘Sleeping Ariadne’ (formerly identified as Cleopatra), two heads of Athena, the ‘Venus of the Dolphin’, the ‘Venus of the Turtle’, and ‘The Faun of the Kid’. The room’s design utilizes black walls and shelving reminiscent of ancient classical cabinets to highlight the marble works.

In addition to the sculptures, the exhibition includes a portrait of Queen Christina by Sébastien Bourdon and the eight Muses she acquired in 1670. For a limited three-month period, the museum will also display a 1651 Paris edition of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Treatise on Painting’.