Mariana: Velázquez's Portrait of a Queen from the Museo del Prado

  • Visual arts
  • Los Angeles
  • Fri, Dec 13, 2024 —
    Mon, Mar 24, 2025
Mariana: Velázquez's Portrait of a Queen from the Museo del Prado

This exhibition highlights Diego Velázquez’s 1652–53 portrait of Queen Mariana of Austria, showcasing her regal attire and emotional depth, alongside works by other notable artists, revealing her artistic and political influence.

Diego Velázquez’s painting Queen Mariana of Austria (1652–53) is central to the exhibition Mariana: Velázquez’s Portrait of a Queen, which originates from the Museo del Prado and is part of the Norton Simon Museum’s Loan Exchange Program with the Spanish national art museum.

This portrait of Queen Mariana of Austria is notable among Velázquez’s works, portraying the 18-year-old monarch in full regal attire. She wears a black and silver dress typical of Spanish fashion, enhanced by the guardainfante, a rigid support structure that accentuates her figure. The queen, recently recovered from childbirth, gazes out with a serious expression, contrasting with her elaborate wig and feathered headpiece. This painting marked Velázquez’s return to Madrid from Rome and marked a new phase in his career focused on women and children, characterized by sensitivity and vibrant colors.

The exhibition explores how art and life influenced Velázquez’s portrayal of Mariana and shaped the queen’s political perspective. Displayed for the first time on the West Coast, Velázquez’s monumental work will be showcased alongside pieces from an international selection of artists collected by the Habsburg court, including Nicolas Poussin, Guido Reni, and Peter Paul Rubens, significant highlights from the Norton Simon Museum’s collection.

These artworks provide insights into Mariana’s daily exposure to exceptional art and invite comparisons between Velázquez and his admired contemporaries. Mariana: Velázquez’s Portrait of a Queen also features paintings by Jusepe de Ribera, Bartolomé-Esteban Murillo, and Francisco de Zurbarán from the museum’s holdings, offering a unique opportunity to view these essential figures of 17th-century Spanish art together.


Related events

Dressing Queen Mariana of Austria

  • On Saturday, January 25 at 5 pm. Free with museum admission.
  • At the Norton Simon Museum’s Theater.
  • Speaker: Amanda Wunder, Professor of History and Art History, City University of New York (Lehman College and the Graduate Center)

Mariana of Austria wears a stunning black-and-silver dress in Velázquez’s iconic portrait. Did dresses like this really exist? If so, how were they made? And what was it like to wear them? In this lecture, the author of Spanish Fashion in the Age of Velázquez explores the materials and techniques that went into making courtly dresses in 17th-century Spain and reveals the hidden undergarments that created the queen’s unnatural silhouette. Lifting the curtain from the portrait, Amanda Wunder introduces the skilled court artisans who worked behind the scenes to dress the Spanish queen and brings to life the flesh-and-blood woman who lived behind the masklike makeup and heavy wig in Velázquez’s famous painting.

Velázquez in Context

  • On Saturday, February 8 at 5 pm. Free with museum admission.
  • At the Norton Simon Museum’s Theater.
  • Speaker: Guillaume Kientz, CEO and Director, Hispanic Society Museum & Library.

In this lecture, Guillaume Kientz delves into Velázquez’s life and work, drawing from research associated with his critically acclaimed exhibition at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, and related publications.

The Woman in Velázquez’s Portrait: The Historical Significance of Queen Mariana of Austria

  • On Saturday, February 22 at 5 pm. Free with museum admission.
  • At the Norton Simon Museum’s Theater.
  • Speaker: Silvia Z. Mitchell, Associate Professor, Early Modern European History, Purdue University.

Millions of visitors to the Museo del Prado have seen Velázquez’s splendid portrait of Queen Mariana of Austria (1634–1696), although few of them are fully aware of her historical significance. From the age of 11, when negotiations over her marriage began, until her death from breast cancer, Mariana’s life intertwined with some of the most important events in European history. Many of these events she influenced directly as regent of Spain’s global empire during the minority of her son Charles II (r. 1665–1700). In this lecture, Mitchell, the author of Queen, Mother, and Stateswoman: Mariana of Austria and the Government of Spain, establishes the dynastic, diplomatic and historical legacy Mariana built during a lifetime spent at the highest levels of politics.

Spanish Young Music Talents - Portrait of Mariana of Austria

  • On Saturday, March 22 at 5 pm. Free with museum admission.
  • At the Norton Simon Museum’s Theater.
  • The work Portrait of Mariana of Austria has been written by Spanish composer Martí Noguer, and will be performed by violist Albert Coronado Daza as part of SYMT, with the collaboration of harpist Cristina Montes Mateo.

Approached as a narrative, Portrait of Mariana of Austria for viola and harp encapsulates the life of Mariana through four introspective vignettes: Childhood, Marriage, Political Influence and Retirement. This piece was written by the Los Angeles–based Spanish composer Martí Noguer especially for the Museum’s presentation of Velázquez’s painting. The performance features two musicians from Spain violist Albert Coronado Daza, a 2024 member of the Spanish Young Music Talents program, and harpist Cristina Montes Mateo, principal harpist for the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Co-presented with SPAIN arts & culture, the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain.

Venue

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Norton Simon Museum, 411 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105

Admission

Buy tickets. Free guided tour with museum admission on Friday, December 20, from 1 pm to 2 pm.

More information

Norton Simon Museum

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Supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.

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