Five of the Best in the Prado

Sex, death, war, beauty, majesty, a drowning dog and a giant ear. Unmissable.

The Prado. What does the name even mean? Well, the name refers to the meadow, now long gone, on which it was built. This giant museum in the centre of Madrid essentially holds masterpieces from the former Spanish royal collection, most of which arrived during the Renaissance and just after.

Velasquez sitting in front of the Prado.

So what you have before you is the best from a vastly powerful clan, whose wealth and power stretched not only across Spain, but also the Netherlands (modern day Holland and Belgium), and the New World (South America). Also, their relations were in charge of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Plus, one of them was married to Mary Tudor of England. There was almost nowhere that the Spanish Royal family didn’t go. So, what you are in for is a feast.

Of around 23,000 art works here, I am going to select five. Five unmissable experiences in the Prado. Masterpieces. This is one of the greatest collections in Europe. But these five are a great springboard.  

1.    The deposition of Christ by Rogier van der Weyden (1435)

The subject is very traditional,  however van der Weyden, who was originally from Burgundy, gives it a radical reworking.

Jesus is being gently taken down from the cross. He is dead, with a broken body and the weight of a dead man, and it is hard to carry him. His mother Mary, all in blue, has collapsed. Look how her body echoes his.