Here we all go to the big ones first, then we try the others, and many times the others look feel better. In my beloved Madrid, where I lived did not was into museums been a young men of other persuasions however with time continue visiting grew older and wiser me think and did get to see the museums of Madrid. This one is very nice and recommended and would like to update an older post on the Museo Cerralbo!
And here we have a museum a bit away from the mainstream but worth the detour. I must said the last time here was way back probably in the 1990’s. However, as visited wanted my boys to see it too and continue the family tradition. We came to the Museo Cerralbo at Calle Ventura Rodriguez 17 right off the Plaza de España! yet on a small street Calle Ferraz. You can get here on the metro Ventura Rodríguez , line 3 or Plaza de España line 3 and 10, Príncipe Pío lines 6 and 10 as well as Cercanais trains at Príncipe Pío, lines C1, C7 , and C10.
The Museo Cerralbo is a Spanish national museum and it houses the old private collection of works of art, archaeological objects and other antiques gathered by Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, 17th Marquis de Cerralbo, who practiced politics, but, above all, is remembered for his role as historian and promoter of various archaeological excavations. The Cerralbo is considered an environment museum, that is, it presents the uniqueness of being one of the few 19C palaces of Madrid that still retains its original decoration. The marquis died in 1922 and, in his will, bequeathed the vast majority of his archeology pieces to the National Archaeological Museum and the National Museum of Natural Sciences, as well as the rest of his collection and the palace built between 1883 and 1893 to the State, which accepted the testamentary legacy. The building, opened as a museum in 1944.
Inside, more than 50,000 objects are preserved, including antiques, sculptures, furniture, various decorative arts, drawings and prints or paintings, where great names such as El Greco, Zurbarán, Bronzino, Tintoretto or Van Dyck stand out. The garden, based on sketches by the Marquis himself, evokes the romantic English-style gardens. Nowadays, the decoration of the main floor is conserved almost completely which includes, among others, a sumptuous ballroom – while the most private rooms underwent successive changes due to use. They have finally been recovered with their original furniture and other antiques acquired recently.
Above all the schools, the Spanish painting collection stands out, since of the pictorial ensemble that is preserved in the museum, almost half corresponds to works due to Spanish artists. The Immaculate of Francisco de Zurbarán, La Piedad de Alonso Cano, a copy of an original by Van Dyck, or Jacob with Laban’s herd from the workshop of José de Ribera whose original is preserved in the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, as well as, from the Renaissance, a San Francisco in ecstasy of El Greco. Within the foreign collections, Italian painting has a special role, with relevant examples ranging from the 16C to the 18C. They highlight a portrait of Alejandro de Médici, revealed as an original by Bronzino or La Resurección de Cristo (resurrection of Christ) , an unpublished piece, to date, of Corrado Giaquinto. One of the most valuable pieces in the collection is precisely the Portrait of a Gentleman from Tintoretto, acquired by the marquis, probably, back in 1884. The other European schools have a practically testimonial presence. However, works such as La Virgen con el Niño, (the Virgin and the Child) the work of the Genoese school by Anton van Dyck stand out and were revealed, after a restoration process, as the painter’s original in December 2017.
The Cerralbo Museum also has a valuable set of drawings, which includes outstanding examples of the Spanish, Italian, Flemish and French schools. This museum houses sculptures from Roman times, Greek ceramics, Meissen porcelains, European and Eastern weapons and armor, numismatics from Greco-Roman times, etc.
Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are:
The Madrid tourist office on the Cerralbo Museum: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/cerralbo-museum
The official Ministry of Culture and Sports of Spain on the Cerralbo Museum: http://www.culturaydeporte.gob.es/mcerralbo/home.html
And voilà, you have another dandy monument to visit in Madrid. The city is awesome , always vibrant and plenty of architecture, history and the arts to keep you busy forever. Enjoy this Cerralbo Museum of Madrid
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 