
Una Regina Polacca - Exhibition Review
The Exhibition
Invited by the Mayor of Rome, we had the opportunity to visit "Una regina polacca in Campidoglio. Maria Casimira e la famiglia reale Sobieski a Roma", now on view at the Musei Capitolini until 21 September 2025. Curated by Francesca Ceci, the exhibition brings together over 60 works—many never before displayed—including paintings, prints, letters, sculptures, epigraphs, and even a Hussar breastplate. The exhibition is part of a new series titled Campidoglio, Crocevia di Culture, spotlighting the international figures and communities that shaped Roman history.
A Queen's Cultural Power
Maria Casimira de la Grange d'Arquien (1641–1716), born in France and widowed queen of Jan III Sobieski, the Polish king famous for his victory at Vienna in 1683, arrived in Rome in March 1699 to take part in the Holy Year celebrations. Accompanied by nearly 200 members of her court—including family, artists, and attendants—she settled first in Palazzo Odescalchi and later in the spectacular Palazzo Zuccari on the Pincian Hill. Known for her refined taste, she became the first female member of the Accademia dell'Arcadia under the name Amirisca Telea. She supported musical and theatrical performances with her own private theatre and artistic circle.
While the exhibition's title promises a focused narrative on Maria Casimira herself, some sections give noticeable attention to her husband, Jan III Sobieski, most notably through imposing portraits and martial symbolism. While this may slightly dilute the queen's spotlight, it also reflects how closely their legacies were intertwined in both cultural patronage and European diplomacy. The curator wisely maintains a balance, emphasising the queen's unique role without detaching her from her broader dynastic context.
Legacy Through Generations
The exhibition also extends to Maria Casimira's descendants, especially her granddaughter, Maria Clementina Sobieska (1701–1735). A fascinating figure in her own right, Maria Clementina moved to Rome after marrying James Stuart (the "Old Pretender" to the English throne) and later entered the Benedictine convent of Santa Cecilia, where she spent the last years of her life. Her presence is felt throughout the show via paintings, intimate letters, and devotional objects, and a special musical homage plays in a dedicated room featuring Baroque compositions recorded by the ensemble Giardino di Delizie under the direction of Ewa Anna Augustynowicz.
On View
Among the highlights are a monumental equestrian portrait of Jan III Sobieski with Vienna in the background, a striking image of Maria Clementina in devotional dress, bronze-gesso busts of both Clementina and Pope Clement XII, and a unique 17th-century drawing depicting the banquet held in Maria Casimira's honour upon her arrival in Rome. Archival letters from the Biblioteca Casanatense and the Archivio Storico Capitolino provide a more personal view of the queen's Roman years, while decorative ephemera and funerary prints trace her ceremonial presence in the city's memory.
Visiting
"Una regina polacca in Campidoglio" is more than a historical showcase—it's a portrait of women's cultural agency at a time when courts were often the engines of artistic production. The exhibition's quiet strength lies in how it traces the subtle but lasting impact of Maria Casimira and her descendants in Rome, especially through patronage, letters, and legacy-building. Anyone interested in early modern queenship, Baroque Rome, or the intersections of gender and power in cultural history will find the show rewarding and full of nuance.
Alessia Motti - Mate Ternovics