Salón de Reinos

The Salón de Reinos (Hall of the Kingdoms) or salón grande (great hall) is a 17th century building in Madrid, originally a wing of the Buen Retiro Palace. Built between 1630 and 1635, it housed the largest paintings in the royal collection, now all in the Museo del Prado. It is named after its paintings of the coats of arms of the 24 kingdoms which formed the Kingdom of Spain at the time of Philip IV of Spain. The Salón de Reinos and the Casón del Buen Retiro are the only survivors of the original grand scheme of the palace.

It was also known as the Museo del Ejército, after the military museum housed in it until 2010, when the collections were moved to the Alcázar of Toledo. The Prado Museum has recently acquired the building which will be renovated to provide more space for the museum to display its collections.

Originally intended as a place from which the king could watch and assist in theatrical productions in the courtyard, the Salón de Reinos was turned into a throne room when it was decided to turn Buen Retiro into a full palace. It was still used for spectacles and soirees, so a balcony was added so that festivities could be viewed from above, but as a throne room it had to impress ambassadors and other distinguished members of the courts of Europe who visited the palace. This meant the room's decoration was the most sumptuous in the whole palace, well-illuminated by several windows between jaspers tables and silver lions and with a ceiling covered in grotesques. There were also wall paintings full of political symbolism with the ultimate aim of glorifying Philip IV. The designer of the room's decorative programme is unknown, though ultimate responsibility lay in the hands of the conde duque de Olivares himself, along with Jerónimo de Villanueva (who gave the lions and effected the payments) and with the intellectual advice of Francisco de Rioja and of the painters closest to Philip and Olivares, Juan Bautista Maíno and Velázquez.

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