Palacio Real Throne Room

The Salón del Trono (Throne Room) of the Palacio Real de Madrid is located on the principal floor of the Royal Palace, completed in 1764 under King Carlos III to designs by the architect Giambattista Sacchetti. The room measures approximately 13 by 10 metres and rises to a vaulted ceiling decorated with the masterwork fresco The Apotheosis of the Spanish Monarchy, painted by the Venetian master Giambattista Tiepolo between 1764 and 1766. Tiepolo's composition fills the entire vault with allegorical figures representing the continents paying tribute to Spain and the Spanish Crown, rendered in a virtuoso illusionistic perspective that makes the ceiling appear to open into sky. The visual impact from the room threshold is immediate: the swirling figures, warm colour, and apparent depth of the fresco dominate the entire interior. Against the south wall, two gilded thrones upholstered in crimson velvet sit on a raised dais flanked by four 18th-century Chinese porcelain vases and guarded by four silver lions cast in the 1650s. The walls are lined with crimson silk moiré, and large Venetian mirrors multiply the reflections of the gilded furnishings. Photography without flash is permitted throughout the Palacio Real, including the Throne Room, but a cordon prevents visitors from entering the room itself; all photographs are taken from the doorway threshold. This fixed shooting position limits the range of Tiepolo ceiling angles available but the view is still comprehensive. From the doorway, a wide-angle lens (16–20mm) pointed upward captures a significant sweep of the fresco. Ambient light in the room is entirely artificial and relatively dim; high ISO values of 1600 to 3200 are necessary for hand-held shots. Admission to the Palacio Real is charged; tickets are available on the Patrimonio Nacional website.