Mariana of Austria (1634–1696) was just 14 when she arrived in Spain to marry her uncle, King Philip IV. She was his queen from 1649 to 1665, the year of his death, and then became Queen Regent of Spain, because their sickly son Charles II was only three years old. With the Habsburg dynasty on the brink of extinction, Mariana maintained her authority by turning to art. Velázquez painted her as a young queen. Juan Carreño de Miranda portrayed her as a widow, dressed in the austere black that became her signature. The Prado is dedicating its first exhibition on female art patrons to Mariana, bringing together some 100 paintings, sculptures, medals, textiles, manuscripts, and prints. —Elena Clavarino