Treasures of the Prado (Tiny Folio) [Hardcover]

Felipe Vicente Garin Llombart (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tiny Folio | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

Even the most confirmed armchair traveller can now tour one of the world's finest art collections. The 300 full-colour illustrations have been carefully chosen by the museum's directors to highlight the very best of the outstanding collection at the Prado, with photographs specially commissioned for the Abbeville Tiny Folio editions. Built in the late eighteenth century as a natural history museum, the Museo del Prado houses some of the world's finest paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. Generations of Spanish royalty commissioned and collected the most celebrated art of their time, leaving behind them the magnificent paintings of Velasquez, Goya, Murillo, Ribera, and El Greco, along with masterpieces by Botticelli, Titian, Van Eyck, and Raphael, which are now among the Prado's most renowned paintings. Felipe Vincente Garin Llombart provides a guided tour of these legendary paintings, and of the museum's equally significant collection of sculpture, which includes works dating from ancient Greece and Rome to the present. The Prado's treasure trove of decorative arts is also covered. In his lively preface, Mr Garin Llombart describes the fascinating history of the museum and its acquisitions. Felipe Vincente Garin Llombart is director of the Museo del Prado.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Another in the Abbeville's Tiny Folios series, this little book is a real gem. If you've never been to the Prado Museum in Madrid, you have been blissfully unaware of all you've been missing. One look at this survey of the collection, and you'll be scouring the papers for cheap fares to Spain. Known for housing some of the finest works by Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez, the scope and variety of work--Titian, Rubens, and Bosch to mention only a few--is amazing. Most of the works in the museum were either commissioned by the Spanish court or purchased by Spanish ambassadors. Treasures of the Prado is a testament to their fine taste and vision. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789204908
• ISBN-13: 978-0789204905
• Product Dimensions: 4.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent primer on the treasures of the museum., June 21, 2004

By 

M. E. Volmar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treasures of the Prado (Tiny Folio) (Hardcover)

Housing a majestic and rich collection of more than 8,600 paintings, 700 sculptures, 5,000 drawings, 2,000 engravings and 3,000 other objects of art, no book, no matter its size, can ever come close to actually visiting Spain's Museo del Prado itself. In that regard, this book is no different.
Where this comprehensive book, written by the museum's director, excels other visual guides of its kind is in both the assortment of the works it presents and in its easy-to-browse organization.
Printed in high-quality plates on semi-glossy paper, and bound in a sturdy, pocket-sized format, this little volume superbly reproduces nearly 270 of the museum's most renowned masterpieces. For each item, its author, name, date of creation, materials and dimensions is indicated, and all the pieces are arranged into one of six distinct sections:
*Spanish Painting, Sculpture and Drawing
*Flemish and Dutch Painting
*Italian Painting
*French, German and English Painting
*Tesoro del Delfín and Decorative Arts
*Sculptures
As a bonus, a brief look at the museum's history is offered in the Preface and an introduction is given at the beginning of each section on the history of items they include. For fast check-ups, an Index of Illustrations is provided at the back.
For those who have already visited the museum this book is a first-class visual reminder of what you have seen, and for those who have never been to it, it gives a tantalizing glimpse of this vast and remarkable treasure.
Enjoy!
--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasures of the Prado (Tiny Folio), June 3, 2002

By 

Margo B. Smith (Ogden, Utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Treasures of the Prado (Tiny Folios) (Paperback)

This was a convenient book to take on my trip to the Prado because of it's size. It was also a very complete tour of the Prado and it is interesting to continue to look at the paintings after the visit.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars nice little memento, September 12, 2009

By 

minala "minala" (atlanta, ga) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Treasures of the Prado (Tiny Folio) (Hardcover)

this little book is a nice introduction to the Prado, or a sweet memory of your visit. nothing more, nothing less. i like to buy these "treasures" before i visit a museum, just to familiarize myself with what i can expect to see there. do not expect any information, analysis or fabulous images.