by Revel Arroway

Created on: November 06, 2010   Last Updated: November 08, 2010

The El Retiro Museum in Madrid, Spain, actually a small part of the “Museo Nacional del Prado”, was originally constructed as a single room, under orders of Spanish king Phillip IV in 1630, near the Church of Saint Jerome. It was to serve as a resting place for the king during Lent, penitence or mourning. It was immediately decided to add rooms for the queen, though these plans were quickly expanded to create a palace on the grounds given to the king by the Convent of Saint Jerome. With the conclusion of the first stage of construction, the once named “Royal Room of Saint Jerome” became the “Royal Home of Good Rest”. In

the words of Phillip IV, this suburban palace would be a place of retirement and diversion where “myself and subsequent kings, without leaving this court, can find peace and recreation.” 

More than two centuries would pass before the original palace, (built and modified, occupied by Napoleon during the French occupation, destroyed and modified, then finally given to the city), would become a public home for art. In 1881, after a restoration, the building opened its doors as the Museum of Artistic Reproductions and in 1974 became part of the modern-day “Museo del Prado” (“Museum of the fields”, referring to the original countryside setting of the area where, over three centuries earlier, Phillip IV envisioned his special, royal get-away). 

The actual collection of the Prado Museum is massive. Depending on the time the visitor wishes to wander through its stately halls, the interests that the visitor has in painting, sculpture, architecture or other art forms, the Museum has outlined three basic itineraries. Don your comfortable shoes, pick a route and begin the tour.

Brief visit (1 hour)

Paintings of Juan de Flandes (“The Crucifixion”), el Greco (“Gentleman with his hand on his chest”) and Rafael (“The Cardinal”) are highlighted, with lesser known works such as “Jacob’s Sleep” by José de Ribera and “The Immaculate Conception” by Tiepolo hung alongside, creating a pictorial atmosphere of masterpieces.

Once set aside in its own special room, Velazquez’s “Las Meninas” portrays the royal family responsible for the building of the original palace: Phillip IV and his queen (though they hang in the shadows in the back) and his infant daughters, dressed up as if for

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