Cecelia, patron saint of music, sits before a harpsichord that rests on a pedestal conceived as a sculpture, reading a score held by two child angels. She is wrapped in ocher robes that partially hide [+]
In an architectural setting, a winged Victory crowns David with a laurel wreath. The latter holds his sword with one hand and looks directly at Goliath´s decapitated head, which rests on some pieces o [+]
Like many other works by Andrea di Lione, Jacob’s journey, c.1635-65, was previously attributed to Genoese painter Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto). It is one of the most successful lands [+]
Esta pequeña tabla es la más tardía de las pinturas del artista conservadas dentro de la colección. Fue pintada para Jean Pointel y al menos entre 1714 y 1722 se documenta en posesión de Jacques Meyer [+]
In late 1629, the thirty-year-old Velázquez went to Italy for the first time, remaining there for more than a year. During this trip he executed various history paintings, some portraits and at [+]
This painting entered the Museum`s holdings as a copy of a work by Jan Both, described as Saint Francis in Penitence and listed as the companion piece to Landscape with Saint Francis in Meditation. It [+]
In a lush, wooded landscape on the banks of a quiet river, a nude woman, sitting on a richly colored red cloak, gestures to two male figures posed beside her. Supporting a glazed jug in her lap, she p [+]
Until very recently there was total confusion as to the origin of this painting and the circumstances surrounding its entry into the Royal Collection. Its original owner was formerly thought to have b [+]
A figure suddenly appears on the left in a forge where various blacksmiths are working, dressed in an orange robe and wearing a laurel wreath, with rays of light emerging from his head. This is Apollo [+]
The significance of this landscape remains obscure. It depicts two figures in the foreground, one pointing to a winding path flanked by funerary monuments and leading to a group of temples or a necrop [+]
An inquiring and original artist, as well as an extraordinary draughtsman, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione travelled throughout much of Italy (besides his native Genoa, he worked in Rome, Mantua, Venic [+]
Nicolas Poussin has a curious relation to the Buen Retiro Palace. Úbea considers him the determinant artist among all those who took part in its decorative project. That could explain why he wa [+]
This is a traditional scene from the iconography of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. It depicts his meeting with Ariadne on the island of Naxos. The god rides a chariot pulled by lions, and helps his f [+]
A valley, crossed by a river on whose banks are several buildings, is framed by trees and mountains on the horizon. In the foreground are three seated figures and two more accompanied by horses. This [+]
The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, 1620s, is the only painting by Valentin de Boulogne in the Museo del Prado. One of his most ambitious works, it was almost certainly painted in the mid 1620s. It depic [+]
Moses Striking Water from the Rock and The Bronze Serpent are related to frescos on the same subjects in the apse of the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Those decorations commissioned [+]
Parnassus, the mythological mountain of Apollo and the Muses is the scene for a celebration of the Arts, especially Poetry. Apollo offers the nectar of the gods to a poet, probably Homer, who is crown [+]
As frequently occurred in the cycle on the History of Ancient Rome commissioned for the decoration of the Buen Retiro Palace, Andrea di Lione drew elements of his painting from the abundant Antiquaria [+]