Prado Museum Collection

Explore the Prado Museum’s esteemed collection, featuring masterpieces by Velázquez, Goya, Bosch, and more. Delve into centuries of European art history and discover iconic paintings that define the cultural legacy of Madrid’s renowned institution.

Prado Collection Highlights

Spanish painting

The Prado Museum is especially known for its Spanish collection. Some of the art by Spanish artists includes:

  • Diego Velázquez: There are two of his masterpieces, “The Triumph of Bacchus”, and “Las Meninas”.
  • Francisco Goya: There are his masterpieces, such as “Saturn Devouring His Son” and “The Third of May 1808”.
  • El Greco: El Greco’s notable works in the museum are “The Nobleman with His Hand on His Chest”.
famous velazquez painting in the prado museum
Diego Velázquez - Las Meninas

Italian and French Paintings

Along with Spanish masterpieces, the museum also consists of Italian and French paintings. Some of the notable works are:

  • Raphael’s “The Holy Family”
  • Titian’s “The Andrians” and “Danae”
  • Nicholas Poussin’s “The Triumph of David”.

19th Century Paintings

19th century paintings are somewhat recent compared to the old world. They have different styles and different themes. Some of the artworks are:

  • “Dona Juana la Loca” by Francisco Pradilla
  • “Queen Isabella the Catholic Dictating Her Will” by Eduardo Rosales

Flemish Paintings & Northern Schools

As the times changed, the museum started getting more collection from different art schools. Some of the arts were donations, and some of them were purchased by the museum. With this process, it includes more than 6,000 paintings. Some of the Flemish and Northern School paintings are:

  • “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch
  • “The Three Graces” and “The Judgement of Paris” by Peter Paul Rubens.
  • “Artemisia” by Rembrandt
painting by Hieronymus Bosch in the prado museum
Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights

Prints, Drawings, & Photographs

The Prado Museum does not only include paintings; it also has prints, drawings and photographs. 

Prints:

  • “Los Caprichos” and “The Disasters of War” by Franciso Goya. “Los Caprichos” is a series of 80 prints that criticize the social and political issues of 18th century Spian. “The Disasters of War” is a seris of 82 prints that presents the horrors of Peninsular War.
  • “Melencolia I” and “The Four Horsemen of the Aocalypse” by Albrecht Durer. “Melencolia I” shows the challenges faced by artists. It is an intricate engraving and one of the most famous works of art by the artist. In “The Four Horsemen of the Aocalypse,” the artist depicts the woodcut of Apocalypse.
 

Drawings:

  • Leonardo da Vinci’ “Studies of the Fetus in the Womb” and “Study of Hands”.  The fetus in the womb shows sketches of the artist’s scientific and artistic power. Vinci carefully draws out the details. Whereas the “Study of Hands” shows his attention to human hands and their working. 
  • “The Dream” by Michelangelo presents the powerful imagination of the artist. And his other work, “Studies of the Libgyan Sibyl” shows the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Both of the works show fine drawing skills of the artist with vivid imagination.

Photographs:

  • “Animal Locomotion” by Eadweard Muybridge is a series of photographic studies that capture motion. This work is significant both in the artistic world and the scientific world. 
  • “Portraits of Spanish Royalty” by Jean Laurent is a series of photographs depicting Spanish royal family in 19th century.

Sculptures and Decorative Arts

The museum had classical Roman statues and busts. And in decorative arts, it has ceramics, furniture, and tapestries. This collection of different art adds to the beauty of the museum’s collection.

Prado Museum Masterpieces

Prado museum masterpieces are “Las Meninas” by Velazzquez, “The Third of May 1808” by Rubens, “La Maja Desnuda” by Francisco Goya, and “Adam and Eve” by Albrecht Durer.

If you are wondering what I should not miss at the Prado Museum, then these are some of the pieces. Apart from there, there are other numbers of pieces as interesting as these.

How Big is the Prado Museum Collection?

If you are wondering how many paintings are part of the Prado Museum, then there are around 7,600 paintings in its collection. There are more than 8,000 drawings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures.

All these pieces document the history of various places in the world. Arts from different places show how artists have different perceptions of the world.

The Prado Museum is a treasure trove of numerous arts. There are prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures that show the history of the world. If you are in Madrid, do visit the museum and experience its beauty.

More information about the Prado Museum

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