This binding was made in Rome for Queen Christina of Sweden around 1658. Daughter and heiress of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, from an early age she displayed an interest in books. She became queen in 1644, when she was eighteen years old, and formed a splendid collection of books and manuscripts. Scholars of fame, such as Isaac Vossius and Nicolaas Heinsius bought books for her. Descartes came to Sweden in 1649 to instruct her, but did not survive the demands made on him by his royal pupil and the Swedish climate. More interested in scholarly pursuits and inclined towards Roman Catholicism, Christina abdicated in 1654 in favour of her cousin, Charles Gustavus. She left Stockholm for Brussels, where she became a member of the Roman Catholic church. From there she travelled, accompanied by some two hundred servants and all her books, via Germany to Rome, where she spent a few months in 1655-56. The next year she went to France where she visited the French Académie, which met in the house of Chancellor Pierre Séguier, and where she bought some manuscripts.

She returned to Rome in May 1658, was received by the Pope and by Cardinals, lived in the Palazzo Farnese and established an Academy, where lectures were given and learned conversations enjoyed. While in Rome, she extended her library considerably. She patronised an atelier that was known as the “Rospigliosi Binder”, but has later been identified with the brothers Andreoli. Christina spent her last days in poverty, her annuity from the Vatican was in arrears, even her books were mortgaged. She died in 1689 and was buried in St Peter’s.¹ 

Gregorio Andreoli came to work for the Vatican Library in 1655. He was appointed binder to the Vatican for life from 1665. He died in 1696. His brother Giovanni worked with him and succeeded him in 1675. He died in 1699. 

The same tools as were used on the binding for Queen Christina also occur on another binding in the Cerruti Collection, on Ioanne Baptista Nicolosio Hyblensi, Hercules Siculus, sive studium geographicum, M. Herculis, Rome 1671, tom. II, fol. with the Borghese arms on the verso of the title page (Fig. 1). 

Bound, also probably by Gregorio Andreoli, or possibly by his brother Giovanni, c. 1671 in red goatskin, tooled in gold to a panel design with several rolls forming two frames, small masks on the corners of the panel; the panel is divided by curving and straight double lines into compartments, filled with small tools, with in the centre the arms of Prince Giovanni Battista Borghese (1639-1717). With a bookplate with the Borghese arms and: “ex libris M. A. Principis Bvrghesii”. 

Mirjam Foot 

¹ S. G. Lindberg, “Queen Christina Bindings”, in Von Platen 1966, pp. 199-225; see also Foot 1978- 2010, vol. I, pp. 329-330; vol. III, no. 368.