Archive for 'Museums & Galleries in Spain'

In the final post in this series, we are rounding up our highlights of works in the collection of the excellent Prado Museum in Madrid in Spain. Massive and stuffed full of incredible masterpieces from the history of European art, it is one of the finest galleries in the world and is an essential attraction for any and all art lovers who have found a vacation rental in Spain. Here are our last picks of must-see works in the gallery but, of course, there are many more wonderful gems to be seen.

5. Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez, 1656

It would be remiss of us not to mention Spanish works in this series and this example is one of, if not the, most famous works of art to have ever come out of Spain. Iconic and influential, it is another work that is probably familiar to many due to its appearances in pop culture.

The Prado Museum in Madrid in Spain is one of the finest art galleries in the entire world, particularly rich in European Medieval and Renaissance gems. In fact, if you were to study art history at all, it would become quickly apparent to you that many of the greatest masterpieces to ever come from Europe are housed in the gallery. With so much to take in, we decided to compile a list of some of the must-see works in the museum to help you out. Just find a vacation rental in Spain, drop by the gallery and check out these highlights.

3. The Descent from the Cross, Rogier Van Der Weyden, c.1435

Another visually arresting and vivid work, this painting – with its bright primary colours, gilding and dynamic composition – always grabs the attention of crowds in the gallery; though they are more reasonable crowds than those that swarm the Bosch we mentioned in the last post.

The Prado Museum is one of Madrid's top cultural attractions and one of the most incredible galleries and collections in the world. For art lovers, it is one of the definite must-see attractions in Spain. Housed in a vast, beautiful and grand 18th century Neoclassical building, it was opened as a museum in 1819 and is home to works by great masters such as Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, Raphael, Rubens, and Bosch, among many others. We have already written about the museum itself but thought that it might be a good idea to dedicate a series of posts to some of the works that are highlights of the collection and which you should seek out once you have found a vacation rental in Spain and have come to explore the stunning museum.

1. Self-portrait (or Self-portrait at 26), Albrecht Dürer, 1498

Dürer was an early fan of the self-portrait and produced three in his lifetime (of which this example is the second).

Looking like a fantastical town plucked right from the pages of Lord Of The Rings, Ronda is Malaga's most extraordinary town. Perched in a rather dramatic location on a plateau dotted by lush river valleys and bisected by the 100m fissure of El Tajo gorge, it is named for the fact that it is ‘surrounded’ by mountains. One of Spain's oldest towns, with Neolithic origins, it was first declared a city by Julius Caesar, though it didn't really begin to take shape until the 4th century AD. However, the appearance as it exists today owes itself to the period of Islamic rule and features mosques and palaces with distinctive ogives and other key architectural details of the period.

Witch trials are always fascinating things to hear about and, as it happens, while Salem may be more famous for the trials that plagued her history, Spain was home to the largest witch trial in history. Just find a vacation rental in Basque Country and come discover this dark history.

Between 1609 and 1614, up to 7,000 people were accused of witchcraft in Basque Spain, in Salem only 200 people were accused, though 20 were ultimately executed for the “crime”. Fueled by suspicion from the Spanish Inquisition, due to the men of the region having to leave for months at a time to work, strong folkloric belief in the region, and the arrival of gypsies in the Basque country a sociopolitical climate was born in which scrutiny on women, in particular, was at its height.