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

February 22, 2025
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.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition, Mariana: Velázquez’s Portrait of a Queen from the Museo Nacional del Prado, on view December 13, 2024 through March 24, 2025.