Christina and the Crown Painting

Christina, King of the Swedes, Goths and Vandals 1626 - 1689 (Reign: 1632 - 1654) Christina is celebrated as one of the most educated women of the 1600’s. Intelligent yet also strident and moody, she rejected the stereotypical behaviours expected from a female of her time and position. She outraged many by her extraordinary manners and habit of dressing in men’s clothing, and scandalised her court by first deciding not to marry and ultimately abdicating in 1654 in order to publicly worship as a Roman Catholic, at which point she moved to Rome. Christina was the third daughter and only surviving child of her parents. Initially pronounced a boy at birth due to an abundance of dark hair and a strong, hoarse voice, her mother became deeply depressed when the mistake was corrected and would have little to do with her for the rest of her life. Her father King Gustavus Adolfus however, with his well-earned reputation as a pragmatist, simply declared “She’ll be clever, she has made fools of us all!”. For her first 6 years until his untimely death at The Battle of Lützen, Christina and her father shared a close relationship, in which, officially recognised as his female heir, she was treated exactly the same as if she had been a son. She was thus educated as if she had been a Royal Male, learning at least 8 languages and being described by one tutor as having “a bright intelligence... She is not at all like a female”. Although called “Queen,” the official title she held as of her coronation by the Riksdag in February 1633 was in fact King. Original works available at The Martin Tinney Gallery, Cardiff

Painting:Oil on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:20 W x 16 H x 1.5 D in

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