Lecture: “Who said the commissioner of Bosch’s so-called Garden of Delights was a man?”

On 8th March, Paul Vandenbroeck will deliver the lecture ‘Who said the commissioner of Bosch’s so-called Garden of Delights was a man?’ for the symposium ‘Key women in the creation of the Prado’s collections. From Isabella I of Castile to Isabel Clara Eugenia. ‘

To mark International Women’s Day, the Museo del Prado is bringing together leading international specialists for a symposium which will aim to draw attention to the women who promoted, collected and inspired some of the Museum’s most iconic works: women whose activities, dating between 1451 and 1633, coincide with the period between the birth of Isabella the Catholic and the death of Isabel Clara Eugenia. These queens, princesses, regents and governors played a key role not just with regard to the promotion of works of art but also in the principal settings of power and were largely responsible for the internationalisation of the Spanish monarchy.

This academic event will focus on issues of a methodological nature, analysing different historical trends and documentary sources relating to the subject of study. In addition to looking at who these women were and how their political responsibilities had a decisive impact on the works of art they commissioned, the principal lines of research deriving from these patrons’ artistic patronage in relation to the Museum’s collections will be presented, singling out their role as artistic and cultural mediators between the European courts.

For more information and to sign up for the symposium, please click here.