Paris1972-Versailles2003

We were back to my dear Spain again !! love it !! We came by car of course and took time to see new areas and old repeat with some of them as introduction to my sons and our dog Rex ! I rented a small house in a off the beaten path country town that was just perfect ! I like to continue the saga of our new road warrior experiences even if now with less in our family, This post is on my latest road warrior tour of wonderful sublime  Spain. Therefore, let me tell you about the Museo Cerralbo of Madrid, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

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. As we were parked nearby we came walking this time and took more time and again as remodeling was being done the admission was free !!!

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. 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.

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

There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Spain, A love affairs with my Madrid, as do not know when we will be back, we sure will have this trip in our hearts forever, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Museo Cerralbo of Madrid, part II !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!