The Female Perspective III. Queen Isabella Farnese (1692-1766) and the Museo del Prado

Thematic Route Map

Having showcased the crucial contribution made by the women of Europe’s royal houses in the 16th and 17th centuries, this third edition of The Female Perspective moves into the 18th century to explore the legacy of a patroness of the arts who did more than anyone else to shape the Museo del Prado’s collections: Queen Isabella Farnese (1692–1766).

The survey, arranged in three sections, takes in forty-five works of art belonging to the permanent collection, located in different rooms. The first section charts the creation and development of Isabella Farnese’s image, looking at the various iconographic strategies adopted by a queen consort in the exercise of power. The second and third sections, devoted to painting and sculpture, examine in greater depth the decisive role played by her patronage of the arts in the shaping of the Prado’s collections. In fact, over a third of the nearly one thousand paintings amassed by the queen form the core of the Museum’s current holdings. These three hundred and fifty-eight works include pieces by leading representatives of the great schools of painting in early modern Europe, among them Diego Velázquez, Jusepe de Ribera, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, David Teniers, Correggio, Peter Paul Rubens, Guido Reni, Anthony van Dyck, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Clara Peeters, Parmigianino and Jean-Antoine Watteau.

One of Isabella Farnese’s greatest achievements as an art collector was the purchase of a set of sculptures belonging to Queen Christina of Sweden. Although this was a joint project involving her husband King Philip V, the queen made the final decision and took responsibility for the transaction, selecting the pieces and keeping back the most valuable for herself, including major items such as Orestes and Pylades, Faun with Kid, the Muses, Clytie and the Diadumenus.

With a view to reappraising and highlighting this remarkable legacy, the itinerary is accompanied by a book, audiovisual material and an extensive programme of additional activities, including a symposium, a series of lectures, curator-led visits, the creation of digital content resources, a training course for teachers, concerts and a new edit-a-thon focusing on women. In addition, the fleur-de-lis will appear on all wall labels identifying works that once belonged to the queen and now form part of the Museum’s permanent collection.

Constructing the Image of the Queen

Isabella Farnese’s Collection of Paintings in the Museo del Prado

Isabella Farnese’s Sculpture Collection in the Museo del Prado