Agents, Acquisitions, and Agency: Queen Christina of Sweden’s Development of Antiquarian Collections in Stockholm and Rome

Abstract

Queen Christina of Sweden was a prolific collector both as ruler of Sweden and as abdicated queen in Rome. Working for decades to build nearly autonomous antiquities collections in Stockholm and Rome, Christina employed a robust network of art acquisition agents. Correspondence and travel notes between these agents, artists, their associates, and Christina, provide insight into the queen’s reach, ambition, and limitations. This essay takes an intersectional approach to women’s mobility in the early modern antiquities market, illuminating the impact of religion, location, gender, and status on the ancient marble trade across Europe and the transnational networks Christina utilized