On June 28, 2023, Madrid welcomed a new chapter in its cultural landscape with the opening of the National Heritage Museum, also known as the Royal Collections Gallery. The launch was surrounded by debate, because it altered a venerable historic and artistic preservation site and sparked competition with other major Madrid institutions such as the Royal Palace and the Moro Gardens. Despite the controversy, the Gallery concluded its first year with record-breaking attendance and four notable additions to its remarkable collection.
In the six months since it opened, 336,058 visitors explored the rooms and corridors of the Royal Collections Gallery. This strong early turnout helped the museum rank third among National Heritage sites in the country for 2023. Overall, National Heritage reported a total of 6,370,770 visitors across its properties, which include palaces, monasteries, and green spaces managed across six autonomous communities.
That annual figure surpassed the previous year by more than one million and was 19 percent higher than 2019, the year that set the prior record with 5,334,273 visits. Among the most popular sites were the Royal Palace, attracting 1,421,428 visitors, and the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, with 445,166.
Four New Additions in 2024
Building on the strong 2023 results, 2024 brought four new acquisitions to the Royal Collections Gallery, including a pair of silver ewers attributed to Elizabeth II and Francis of Assisi, dating to around 1861. The total investment for these items reached 172,000 euros.
The acquisitions were executed in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture. Also acquired were Corrado Giaquinto’s illuminated work depicting Christ crowning St. Teresa, and two other items purchased directly by National Heritage: an anonymous 17th-century painting of Our Lady of Atocha and an 18th-century manuscript titled General Description of the Fountains in the Gardens of the Royal Estate of La Granja de San Ildefonso.
With these additions, National Heritage expands its lineup of masters such as Giaquinto and enriches the legacy surrounding Isabel and the history of the Atocha Basilica on its 500th anniversary. The 18th-century Royal Site of La Granja de San Ildefonso receives particular emphasis as the Royal Palace there approaches its tercentenary. Lorena Ruiz, Director of Royal Collections, noted the significance of these developments.
Pieces of Immense Historical Value
Speaking about the acquisitions, the director of the heritage museum described the newly added works as pieces of tremendous historical and artistic importance. The investments on these four items continue to bolster royal collections and reinforce the National Heritage’s standing as one of Europe’s most diverse and richly endowed institutions.
The painting titled Sketch of Christ Crowning St. Teresa is an oil on canvas by Corrado Giaquinto (Molfetta 1703-Naples 1766). It stands as one of several works created for soffitto, a decorative ceiling project found in Spanish public collections.
The tercentenary manuscript from the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, General Description of the Fountains in the Gardens of the Royal Estate of La Granja de San Ildefonso, dates to 1778. It complements documentary materials on fountains and reveals that those fountains were originally painted in a reddish bronze tone.
The 17th-century Chapel of Our Lady of Atocha features an anonymous painting, Maiden of Atocha, notable for its faithful reproduction of the sculptural image of Our Lady on the altar.