Art · Madrid · Museums
"Venus and Cupid" by Peter Paul Rubens, painted in 1606-1611 under the impression of the same subject as executed by Titian
Collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid
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Faith · Madrid · Monarchies · Society
Leo XIV has flown into Madrid at the start of a six-day visit to Spain, to be held under the motto "raise your gaze"
Leo XIV has flown into Madrid at the start of a six-day visit to Spain, to be held under the motto "raise your gaze". The country is passing through difficult times, especially as regards the unity of its people: society is quite literally split over migration, abortion
Art · Madrid · Museums
Ribera's Euclid astonishes with depth of character
Jusepe de Ribera's Euclid astonishes with depth of character. Before us is no abstract sage of antiquity but a living man, immersed in the world of thought. The wrinkles on his face, the heavy gaze, the strong hands and, incidentally, a shirt that is rather more in the
NB! · Madrid · Observations
The Arms of Madrid, Then and Now
The arms of Madrid, then and now. But why?
Art · Madrid · Museums
In all likelihood, a depiction of a theatrical staging of Euripides' play "Heracles", which tells the myth of Heracles gone mad
On the stage of a theatre we see Heracles, driven to despair by the spirits of madness. The hero is ready to destroy his own family: he is about to throw his son, whom he holds in his arms, into a fire in which all his possessions are already burning.
Archaeology · Art · Madrid · Museums · Heritage · Paris
One of the most famous sculptures of the ancient world and arguably the greatest monument of Iberian art, the Lady of Elche, found in 1897, was soon after its discovery acquired by the Louvre for 4,000 francs
The masterpiece of Spanish antiquity remained in France until 1941, when Spain exchanged it, under a special programme, for several dozen other works of art and items of jewellery. The sculpture dates from the 4th century BC. Franco ordered the Lady of Elche to be displayed in the Prado National
Faith · Madrid · Society · Nature · Ethnography
Last Saturday Spain held festivities marking the feast of Saint Anthony the Great, patron saint of domestic animals
Near Madrid, in the village of San Bartolomé de Pinares, which has a population of about 500, the rite of Las Luminarias has been held every year for centuries. Riders lead their horses through bonfires lit right in the streets; the ritual is believed to purify the animals and protect
NB! · Art · Books · Madrid · People
Savva Brodsky's illustrations for the 1976 edition of Don Quixote earned him the status of corresponding academician of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Spain
Architecture · Faith · Madrid · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial: one of the great creations of the Spanish Renaissance, built under Philip II as a royal residence, monastery and mausoleum of monarchs
The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of the great creations of the Spanish Renaissance, built under Philip II as a royal residence, monastery and mausoleum of monarchs. In its basilica, beneath the vaults of the choir, an eagle crowns a crystal chandelier, spreading its wings over
NB! · Archaeology · Madrid · Museums · Heritage
On 4 April 1921 the legendary Guarrazar treasures of the Visigothic hoard, including the crown of Suintila presented to Queen Isabella II, were stolen from the Royal Armoury of the Royal Palace in Madrid
On 4 April 1921 the legendary Guarrazar treasures of the Visigothic hoard, including the crown of Suintila presented to Queen Isabella II, were stolen from the Royal Armoury of the Royal Palace in Madrid. The jewels were never found
Faith · Madrid · Observations · Society · Paris
Crosses vanish from Montmartre on Paris Olympics posters, crosses are removed from the badges of European football clubs, and in Spain a proposal has been made to pull down the monumental cross above the Valley of the Fallen
Crosses vanish from Montmartre on Paris Olympics posters, crosses are removed from the badges of European football clubs, and in Spain a proposal has been made to pull down the monumental cross above the Valley of the Fallen. In Western Europe the wave of “de-crossing”, fuelled by embittered anticlericalism,
Architecture · Cinema · Madrid · Observations · Rome
A Little More on Architecture
A little more on architecture. And on cinema. For the filming of The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), a full-scale reconstruction of the Roman Forum was built at Las Matas, near Madrid. Covering 92,000 square metres, four times the size of Red Square, it became the largest