El Greco - 'Nobleman with a hand on his chest'

El Greco - El caballero de la mano en el pecho
location - Museo de Prado, Madrid

This is considered to be one of the 'must see' paintings in the Prado.

Museo del Prado, Madrid

The Museo del Prado is Madrid's premier tourist attraction and one of the 'must see' sights in Spain. It is one of the best museums in the world. Currently there are around 18,000 items in the Prado's collection including 8,600 pictures.

They are not any old common or garden pictures either - there are over a hundred Goyas and many by Rubens, Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Bosch, Velázquez and others. The Prado not only has the finest collection of Spanish art but also the most important works of Flemish and Italian painting as well as notable examples of the French, German and English schools.

It was originally founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture but it also has important collections of drawings, prints, coins, medals and other art-related items. 

Like all major museums, it is impossible to see everything on one visit so what are the 'must see' items. Personal taste must obviously influence what works of art the visitor chooses to see. However, many experts believe that Velázquez's masterpiece 'Las Meninas (Maids of Honour)' is the best painting in the World. Other 'top of the range' masterpieces include:

Bosch	'The Garden of Delights'
Brueghel	'The Triumph of Death'
Caravaggio	'David and Goliath'
Dürer	'Self Portrait'
El Greco	'Nobleman with a hand on his chest'
Goya	'Majas'
Raphael	'The Holy Family'
Rubens	'The Three Graces'
Titian	'The Bacchanal'
Titian	'Emperor Charles V in Mühlberg'

The Prado building is pretty impressive. It is an 18th-century neoclassical palace commissioned by Charles III in 1785 and designed by architect Juan de Villanueva. It was opened to the public in 1819 as the Royal Museum of Painting. Later, in 1868, it was renamed as the National Museum of the Prado.

 northern facade of the Museo del Prado
as painted by Fernando Brambila (1763 - 1832)

El Greco

real name - Dominikos Theotokópulos

El Greco was an 'honorary Spaniard' and an artist. He was actually born in Crete in 1541 but after a period of study in Italy he settled in Spain.

Mostly he lived in Toledo and his first commissions there were for altarpieces at the Convent of Santo Domingo and the Cathedral. 

Much of his best works are exhibited in his hometown. His best-known work, 'The Burial of Count Orgaz', is displayed in the Church of Santo Tomé in the city. More of his work, including 'The Crucifixion', is displayed in the Hospital y Museo de Santa Cruz in Toledo and also in the Greco Museum and House in the city. Madrid's Museo del Prado also displays some of his work.

He is known primarily for his religious paintings but he also produced other work including icons and sculpture.

El Greco - 'The Burial of Count Orgaz'
location: Santo Tomé, Toledo

El Greco - San Sebastian

El Greco's 'San Sebastian'
location - Museo Catedralico, Palencia

Palencia Cathedral is one of the city's monuments to its rich history. It is known as 'La Bella Desconocida' (The Beautiful Unknown One). Perhaps it is because of the treasures inside the cathedral that it has been given such a curious title. El Greco's 'St. Sebastian' is just one of the valuable paintings to be found here.