The Prado Masterpieces

The Museo Nacional del Prado, Spain’s national art museum, features one of the world’s finest collections of European art, and is unquestionably the best single collection of Spanish art. This luxurious volume is the definitive reference to the Museo del Prado and the first work of its kind to be published by the museum itself. It presents the globally renowned collection in chronological order, from Roman statues through to the nineteenth century, using the tastes of the Spanish royal family to tell the story of the evolution of Western art. The Prado’s most seminal works are showcased here, including Velázquez’s Las Meninas, El Greco’s The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest and Goya’s The Third of May 1808, along with some of the museum’s most recent acquisitions. There are also beautiful fold-out reproductions of three triptychs by Hieronymus Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Haywain and The Adoration of the Magi, allowing a close-up view of their interior and exterior panels. The book creates a fascinating dialogue between the greatest artists and their works, showing how painters have always reflected the influences of their predecessors and peers. An indispensable resource for anyone who loves art history, this is a richly illustrated record of one of the world’s greatest collections of European art.