139-452: The Museo del Prado ( / ˈ p r ɑː d oʊ / PRAH -doh ; Spanish pronunciation: [muˈseo ðel ˈpɾaðo] ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado , is the main Spanish national art museum , located in central Madrid . It houses collections of European art , dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on the former Spanish royal collection , and
278-409: A chthonic solar eagle-lion. The human carries a triple-branched tree of life on which perches a bird, according to Fraenger, "a symbolic bird of death". Fraenger believes the man is intended to represent a genius, "he is the symbol of the extinction of the duality of the sexes, which are resolved in the ether into their original state of unity". To their right, a knight with a dolphin tail sails on
417-631: A gunpowder -store for the Napoleonic troops based in Madrid during the war. The next renovations that this museum will undergo will be conducted by British architect Norman Foster. This renovation was approved in June 2020 and is expected to take a minimum of four years. In 1991, Manuel Villaescusa bequeathed his fortune of nearly $ 40 million in Madrid real estate to the Prado, to be used solely for
556-470: A sword , could be hired from shops outside. The treasuries of cathedrals and large churches, or parts of them, were often set out for public display and veneration. Many of the grander English country houses could be toured by the respectable for a tip to the housekeeper, during the long periods when the family were not in residence. Special arrangements were made to allow the public to see many royal or private collections placed in galleries, as with most of
695-453: A $ 32 million extension of the Prado. The museum announced the selection of Foster and Rubio after a jury reviewed the proposals of the eight competition finalists – including David Chipperfield , Rem Koolhaas and Eduardo Souto de Moura – who had already been shortlisted from an initial list of 47 international teams of architects. The building was acquired by the Prado in 2015, after having served as an army museum until 2005. The project
834-537: A bequest. The Kunstmuseum Basel , through its lineage which extends back to the Amerbach Cabinet , which included a collection of works by Hans Holbein the Younger and purchased by the city of Basel in 1661, is considered to be the first museum of art open to the public in the world. In the second half of the 18th century, many private collections of art were opened to the public, and during and after
973-476: A cavity below him, into the transparent chamber pot on which he sits. The monster is sometimes referred to as the "Prince of Hell," a name derived from the cauldron he wears on his head, perhaps representing a debased crown. At his feet, a female has her face reflected on the buttocks of a demon. Further to the left, next to a hare-headed demon, a group of naked persons around a toppled gambling table are being massacred with swords and knives. Other brutal violence
1112-426: A chilling quality—rendered through cold colourisation and frozen waterways—and presents a tableau that has shifted from the paradise of the center image to a spectacle of cruel torture and retribution. In a single, densely detailed scene, the viewer is made witness to cities on fire in the background; war, torture chambers, infernal taverns, and demons in the midground, and mutated animals feeding on human flesh in
1251-449: A collaboration of museums and galleries that are more interested with the categorization of art. They are interested in the potential use of folksonomy within museums and the requirements for post-processing of terms that have been gathered, both to test their utility and to deploy them in useful ways. The steve.museum is one example of a site that is experimenting with this collaborative philosophy. The participating institutions include
1390-563: A crown similar to a papal tiara (a common convention in Netherlandish painting), is visible as a tiny figure at the upper left. Bosch shows God as the father sitting with a Bible on his lap, creating the Earth in a passive manner by divine fiat . Above him is inscribed a quote from Psalm 33 :9 reading "Ipse dīxit, et facta sunt: ipse mandāvit, et creāta sunt"— For he spoke and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast . There
1529-465: A deep sleep to find God holding Eve by her wrist and giving the sign of his blessing to their union. God is younger-looking than on the outer panels, blue-eyed and with golden curls. His youthful appearance may be a device by the artist to illustrate the concept of Christ as the incarnation of the Word of God . God's right hand is raised in blessing while he holds Eve's wrist with his left. According to
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#17327728309511668-401: A dual sexual symbol —reminiscent of human scrotum and penis . The tree-man's torso is formed from a broken eggshell, and the supporting trunk has thorn-like branches which pierce the fragile body. A grey figure in a hood bearing an arrow jammed between his buttocks climbs a ladder into the tree-man's central cavity, where nude men sit in a tavern-like setting. The tree-man gazes outwards beyond
1807-468: A few triptychs, but the Bosch panels are unusually large compared with these and contain no donor portraits. Possibly, they were commissioned to celebrate a wedding, as large Italian paintings for private houses frequently were. Nevertheless, The Garden ' s bold depictions do not rule out a church commission, such as the contemporaneous fervor to warn against immorality. In 1566, the triptych served as
1946-481: A house often visited by heads of state and leading court figures. The prominence of the painting has led some to conclude that the work was commissioned and not "solely ... a flight of the imagination". A description of the triptych in 1605 called it the "strawberry painting," because the fruit of the strawberry tree ( madroño in Spanish) features prominently in the center panel. Early Spanish writers referred to
2085-421: A lion that has killed and is about to devour his prey. In the foreground, from a large hole in the ground, emerge birds and winged animals, some of which are realistic, some fantastic. Behind a fish, a person clothed in a short-sleeved hooded jacket and with a duck's beak holds an open book as if reading. To the left of the area, a cat holds a small lizard-like creature in its jaws. Belting observes that, although
2224-433: A major factor in social mobility (for example, getting a higher-paid, higher-status job). The argument states that certain art museums are aimed at perpetuating aristocratic and upper class ideals of taste and excludes segments of society without the social opportunities to develop such interest. The fine arts thus perpetuate social inequality by creating divisions between different social groups. This argument also ties in with
2363-517: A monumental urban space. The building was initially conceived by José Moñino y Redondo, count of Floridablanca , and was commissioned in 1785 by Charles III for the reurbanización of the Paseo del Prado. To this end, Charles III called on one of his favorite architects, Juan de Villanueva , author also of the nearby Botanical Garden and the City Hall of Madrid. The prado ("meadow") that was where
2502-652: A new Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures. The royal museum, which would soon become known as the National Museum of Painting and Sculpture, and subsequently the Museo Nacional del Prado, opened to the public for the first time in November 1819. It was created with the double aim of showing the works of art belonging to the Spanish Crown and to demonstrate to the rest of Europe that Spanish art
2641-402: A number of online art catalogues and galleries that have been developed independently of the support of any individual museum. Many of these, like American Art Gallery, are attempts to develop galleries of artwork that are encyclopedic or historical in focus, while others are commercial efforts to sell the work of contemporary artists. A limited number of such sites have independent importance in
2780-410: A reclining female who is also covered in hair. The pointing man is the only clothed figure in the panel, and as Fraenger observes, "he is clothed with emphatic austerity right up to his throat." In addition, he is one of the few human figures with dark hair. According to Fraenger: The way this man's dark hair grows, with the sharp dip in the middle of his high forehead, as though concentrating there all
2919-432: A road filled with fleeing figures, while hordes of tormentors prepare to burn a neighbouring village. A short distance away, a rabbit carries an impaled and bleeding corpse while a group of victims above are thrown into a burning lantern. The foreground is populated by various distressed or tortured figures. Some are shown vomiting or excreting, others are crucified by harp and lute, in an allegory of music, thus sharpening
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#17327728309513058-606: A scene from Martin Schongauer 's engraving Flight into Egypt . Conquest in Africa and the East provided both wonder and terror to European intellectuals, as it led to the conclusion that Eden could never have been an actual geographical location. The Garden references exotic travel literature of the 15th century through the animals, including lions and a giraffe, in the left panel. The giraffe has been traced to Cyriac of Ancona ,
3197-405: A transparent cylinder. The pools in the fore and background contain bathers of both sexes. In the central circular pool, the sexes are mostly segregated, with several females adorned by peacocks and fruit. Four women carry cherry-like fruits on their heads, perhaps a symbol of pride at the time, as has been deduced from the contemporaneous saying: "Don't eat cherries with great lords—they'll throw
3336-435: A travel writer known for visiting Egypt during the 1440s. The exoticism of Cyriac's sumptuous manuscripts may have inspired Bosch's imagination. The charting and conquest of this new world made real regions previously only idealised in the imagination of artists and poets. At the same time, the certainty of the old biblical paradise began to slip from the grasp of thinkers into the realms of mythology. In response, treatment of
3475-405: A winged fish. The knight's tail curls back to touch the back of his head, referencing the common symbol of eternity: the snake biting its own tail . On the immediate right of the panel, a winged youth soars upwards, carrying a fish in his hands and a falcon on his back. According to Belting, in these passages, Bosch's "imagination triumphs ... the ambivalence of [his] visual syntax exceeds even
3614-487: Is a firmament around the Earth, in reference to Genesis 1 :7 It hangs suspended in the cosmos, which is shown as an impermeable darkness , whose only other inhabitant is God himself. Despite the presence of vegetation , the earth does not yet contain human or animal life , indicating that the scene represents the events of the biblical Third Day. Bosch renders the plant life in an unusual fashion, using uniformly gray tints, which make it difficult to determine whether
3753-567: Is a building or space for the display of art , usually from the museum 's own collection . It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although primarily concerned with visual art , art museums are often used as a venue for other cultural exchanges and artistic activities, such as lectures, jewelry, performance arts , music concerts, or poetry readings. Art museums also frequently host themed temporary exhibitions, which often include items on loan from other collections. An institution dedicated to
3892-629: Is a man holding his right hand close to his partner's genitals and the bare buttocks of yet another figure hovering in the vicinity. According to Fraenger, the eroticism of the center frame could be considered either as an allegory of spiritual transition or a playground of corruption. On the right-hand side of the foreground, there is a group of four figures standing, three white- and one black-skinned. The white-skinned figures, two males and one female are covered from head to foot in light-brown body hair. Scholars generally agree that these hirsute figures represent wild or primeval humanity but disagree on
4031-430: Is designed to give the Prado about 61,500 square feet of additional available space, of which about 27,000 square feet will be used to exhibit works. Only in 2021, the Spanish government approved the plans and awarded the project 36 million euros. The Prado Museum building is one of the buildings constructed during the reign of Charles III (Carlos III) as part of a grandiose building scheme designed to bestow upon Madrid
4170-695: Is generally considered to have been the first art museum in the United States. It was originally housed in the Renwick Gallery , built in 1859. Now a part of the Smithsonian Institution , the Renwick housed William Wilson Corcoran 's collection of American and European art. The building was designed by James Renwick Jr. and finally completed in 1874. It is located at 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Renwick designed it after
4309-466: Is innovative in that he describes hell not as a fantastical place but as a realistic world containing many elements from day-to-day human life. Animals are shown punishing humans, subjecting them to nightmarish torments that may symbolise the seven deadly sins , matching the torment to the sin. Sitting on an object that may be a toilet or a throne, the panel's centerpiece is a gigantic bird-headed monster feasting on human corpses, which he excretes through
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4448-785: Is known for sure of the life of Hieronymus Bosch or of the commissions or influences that may have formed the basis for the iconography of his work. His birthdate, education, and patrons remain unknown. There is no surviving record of Bosch's thoughts or evidence as to what attracted and inspired him to such an individual mode of expression. Through the centuries, art historians have struggled to resolve this question, yet conclusions remain fragmentary at best. Scholars have debated Bosch's iconography more extensively than that of any other Netherlandish artist . His works are generally regarded as enigmatic, leading some to speculate that their content refers to contemporaneous esoteric knowledge since lost to history. Although Bosch's career flourished during
4587-409: Is no perspectival order in the foreground, which comprises a series of small motifs wherein proportion and terrestrial logic are abandoned. Bosch presents the viewer with gigantic ducks playing with tiny humans under cover of oversized fruit; fish walking on land while birds dwell in the water; a passionate couple encased in an amniotic fluid bubble; and a man inside of a red fruit staring at a mouse in
4726-559: Is provided by a dedicated print room located within the museum. Murals or mosaics often remain where they have been created ( in situ ), although many have also been removed to galleries. Various forms of 20th-century art, such as land art and performance art , also usually exist outside a gallery. Photographic records of these kinds of art are often shown in galleries, however. Most museums and large art galleries own more works than they have room to display. The rest are held in reserve collections , on or off-site. A sculpture garden
4865-479: Is shown "seductively presenting her body to Adam". Adam's expression is one of amazement; Fraenger suggests three elements to his seeming astonishment. Firstly, there is surprise at the presence of the God; secondly he is reacting to an awareness that Eve is of the same nature as himself, and has been created from his own body. Finally, from the intensity of Adam's gaze, it might be that he is experiencing sexual arousal for
5004-462: Is shown by a knight torn down and eaten up by a pack of wolves to the right of the tree-man. During the Middle Ages , sexuality and lust were seen by some as evidence of humanity's fall from grace . In the eyes of some viewers, this sin is depicted in the left-hand panel through Adam's allegedly lustful gaze toward Eve, and it has been proposed that the center panel was created as a warning to
5143-557: Is similar to an art gallery, presenting sculpture in an outdoor space. Sculpture has grown in popularity with sculptures installed in open spaces on both a permanent and temporary basis. Most larger paintings from about 1530 onwards were designed to be seen either in churches or palaces, and many buildings built as palaces now function successfully as art museums. By the 18th century additions to palaces and country houses were sometimes intended specifically as galleries for viewing art, and designed with that in mind. The architectural form of
5282-589: Is the modern title given to a triptych oil painting on oak panel painted by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch , between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was between 40 and 60 years old. Bosch's religious beliefs are unknown, but interpretations of the work typically assume it is a warning against the perils of temptation. The outer panels place the work on the Third Day of Creation. The intricacy of its symbolism, particularly that of
5421-547: Is the stressing of a rapport: Adam seems indeed to be stretching to his full length to make contact with the Creator. And the billowing out of the cloak around the Creator's heart, from where the garment falls in marked folds and contours to Adam's feet, also seems to indicate that here a current of divine power flows down, so that this group of three actually forms a closed circuit, a complex of magical energy ... Eve avoids Adam's gaze, although, according to Walter S. Gibson , she
5560-502: Is to shape identity and memory, cultural heritage, distilled narratives and treasured stories. Many art museums throughout history have been designed with a cultural purpose or been subject to political intervention. In particular, national art galleries have been thought to incite feelings of nationalism . This has occurred in both democratic and non-democratic countries, although authoritarian regimes have historically exercised more control over administration of art museums. Ludwig Justi
5699-431: Is uncertain. Ludwig von Baldass (1917) considered the painting to be an early work by Bosch. However, since De Tolnay (1937) consensus among 20th-century art historians placed the work in 1503–1504 or even later. Both early and late datings were based on the "archaic" treatment of space. Dendrochronology dates the oak of the panels between the years 1460 and 1466, providing the earliest date ( terminus post quem ) for
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5838-768: The Alte Pinakothek , Munich) was opened to the public in 1779 and the Medici collection in Florence around 1789 (as the Uffizi Gallery). The opening of the Musée du Louvre during the French Revolution in 1793 as a public museum for much of the former French royal collection marked an important stage in the development of public access to art by transferring the ownership to a republican state; but it
5977-575: The COVID-19 pandemic , in 2020 attendance plunged by 76 percent to 852,161. Nonetheless, the Prado was ranked as the 16th most-visited museum in the list of most-visited art museums in the world in 2020. It is one of the largest museums in Spain. The Prado, with the nearby Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía , forms Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art , which was included in
6116-649: The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars , many royal collections were nationalized, even where the monarchy remained in place, as in Spain and Bavaria . In 1753, the British Museum was established and the Old Royal Library collection of manuscripts was donated to it for public viewing. In 1777, a proposal to the British government was put forward by MP John Wilkes to buy the art collection of
6255-772: The Guggenheim Museum in New York City by Frank Lloyd Wright , the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Frank Gehry , Centre Pompidou-Metz by Shigeru Ban , and the redesign of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art by Mario Botta . Some critics argue these galleries defeat their purposes because their dramatic interior spaces distract the eye from the paintings they are supposed to exhibit. Museums are more than just mere 'fixed structures designed to house collections.' Their purpose
6394-712: The Guggenheim Museum , the Cleveland Museum of Art , the Metropolitan Museum of Art , and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art . There are relatively few local/regional/national organizations dedicated specifically to art museums. Most art museums are associated with local/regional/national organizations for the arts , humanities or museums in general. Many of these organizations are listed as follows: The Garden of Earthly Delights The Garden of Earthly Delights ( Dutch : De tuin der lusten , lit. 'The garden of lusts')
6533-602: The High Renaissance , he lived in an area where the beliefs of the medieval Church still held moral authority . He would have been familiar with some of the new forms of expression, especially those in Southern Europe, although it is difficult to attribute with certainty which artists, writers, and conventions had a bearing on his work. José de Sigüenza is credited with the first extensive critique of The Garden of Earthly Delights , in his 1605 History of
6672-551: The Late Medieval period onwards, areas in royal palaces, castles , and large country houses of the social elite were often made partially accessible to sections of the public, where art collections could be viewed. At the Palace of Versailles , entrance was restricted to people of certain social classes who were required to wear the proper apparel, which typically included the appropriate accessories, silver shoe buckles and
6811-540: The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo . The phrase "art gallery" is also sometimes used to describe businesses which display art for sale, but these are not art museums. Throughout history, large and expensive works of art have generally been commissioned by religious institutions or political leaders and been displayed in temples, churches, and palaces . Although these collections of art were not open to
6950-624: The Papacy , while the Vatican Museums , whose collections are still owned by the Pope, trace their foundation to 1506, when the recently discovered Laocoön and His Sons was put on public display. A series of museums on different subjects were opened over subsequent centuries, and many of the buildings of the Vatican were purpose-built as galleries. An early royal treasury opened to the public
7089-786: The UNESCO World Heritage list in 2021. The building that is now the home of the Museo Nacional del Prado was designed in 1785 by architect of the Enlightenment in Spain Juan de Villanueva on the orders of Charles III to house the Natural History Cabinet. Nonetheless, the building's final function was not decided until the monarch's grandson, Ferdinand VII , encouraged by his wife, Queen María Isabel de Braganza , decided to use it as
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#17327728309517228-521: The governor of several of the Habsburg provinces in the Low Countries . De Beatis wrote in his travel journal that "there are some panels on which bizarre things have been painted. They represent seas, skies, woods, meadows, and many other things, such as people crawling out of a shell, others that bring forth birds, men and women, white and blacks doing various activities and poses." Because
7367-553: The mystification of fine arts . Research suggests that the context in which an artwork is being presented has significant influence on its reception by the audience, and viewers shown artworks in a museum rated them more highly than when displayed in a "laboratory" setting Most art museums have only limited online collections, but a few museums, as well as some libraries and government agencies, have developed substantial online catalogues. Museums, libraries, and government agencies with substantial online collections include: There are
7506-401: The 1970s, a number of political theorists and social commentators have pointed to the political implications of art museums and social relations. Pierre Bourdieu , for instance, argued that in spite the apparent freedom of choice in the arts, people's artistic preferences (such as classical music, rock, traditional music) strongly tie in with their social position. So called cultural capital is
7645-484: The Baptist in his camel's skin (Isabel Mateo Goméz in 1963), or as a self-portrait. The woman below him lies within a semicylindrical transparent shield, while her mouth is sealed, devices implying that she bears a secret. To their left, a man crowned by leaves lies on top of what appears to be an actual but gigantic strawberry , and is joined by a male and female who contemplate another equally huge strawberry. There
7784-533: The Disciples' Feet by Tintoretto , Dürer 's Self-portrait at 26 , Las Meninas by Velázquez, The Three Graces by Rubens, and The Family of Charles IV by Goya. In addition to works from the Spanish royal collection , the other holdings increased and enriched the museum with further masterpieces, such as the two Majas by Goya. Among the now closed museums whose collections have been added to that of
7923-574: The Duke's illegitimate son and heir and the Spanish commander in the Netherlands. Philip II acquired the painting at auction in 1591; two years later he presented it to El Escorial. A contemporaneous description of the transfer records the gift on 8 July 1593 of a "painting in oils, with two wings depicting the variety of the world, illustrated with grotesqueries by Hieronymus Bosch, known as 'Del Madroño'". After an unbroken 342 years at El Escorial,
8062-602: The Louvre's Tuileries addition. At the time of its construction, it was known as "the American Louvre". University art museums and galleries constitute collections of art developed, owned, and maintained by all kinds of schools, community colleges, colleges, and universities. This phenomenon exists in the West and East, making it a global practice. Although easily overlooked, there are over 700 university art museums in
8201-736: The Marxist theory of mystification and elite culture . Furthermore, certain art galleries, such as the National Gallery in London and the Louvre in Paris are situated in buildings of considerable emotional impact. The Louvre in Paris is for instance located in the former Royal Castle of the ancient regime , and is thus clearly designed with a political agenda. It has been argued that such buildings create feelings of subjugation and adds to
8340-585: The Museo del Prado has toured an exhibition of its renowned collection of Italian masterpieces at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, from 16 May 2014 until 31 August 2014. Many of the works have never before left Spain. 40°24′50″N 3°41′32″W / 40.41389°N 3.69222°W / 40.41389; -3.69222 Art museum An art museum or art gallery
8479-579: The New Acquisitions. Numerous bequests have enriched the museum's holdings, such as the outstanding collection of medals left to the museum by Pablo Bosch; the drawings and items of decorative art left by Pedro Fernández Durán as well as Van der Weyden 's masterpiece, Duran Madonna ; and the Ramón de Errazu bequest of 19th-century paintings. Particularly important donations include Barón Emile d'Erlanger's gift of Goya's Black Paintings in 1881. Among
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#17327728309518618-568: The Order of St. Jerome . He argued against dismissing the painting as either heretical or merely absurd, commenting that the panels "are a satirical comment on the shame and sinfulness of mankind". The art historian Carl Justi observed that the left and center panels are drenched in tropical and oceanic atmosphere, and concluded that Bosch was inspired by "the news of recently discovered Atlantis and by drawings of its tropical scenery, just as Columbus himself, when approaching terra firma, thought that
8757-716: The Pomegranate purchased in 2016. Between 1873 and 1900, the Prado helped decorate city halls, new universities, and churches. During the Second Spanish Republic from 1931 to 1936, the focus was on developing provincial museums. During the Spanish Civil War , upon the recommendation of the League of Nations , the museum staff removed 353 paintings, 168 drawings and the Dauphin's Treasure and sent
8896-567: The Prado were the Museo de la Trinidad in 1872, and the Museo de Arte Moderno in 1971. In addition, numerous legacies, donations and purchases have been of crucial importance for the growth of the collection. Various works entered the Prado from the Museo de la Trinidad, including The Fountain of Grace by the School of Van Eyck, the Santo Domingo and San Pedro Martír altarpieces painted for
9035-536: The US alone. This number, compared to other kinds of art museums, makes university art museums perhaps the largest category of art museums in the country. While the first of these collections can be traced to learning collections developed in art academies in Western Europe, they are now associated with and housed in centers of higher education of all types. The word gallery being originally an architectural term,
9174-433: The acquisition of paintings. The museum subsequently sold Villaescusa's buildings to realize income from them. The bequest suddenly made the Prado one of the most formidable bidders for paintings in the world. Until the early 2000s, the Prado's annual income was approximately $ 18 million, $ 15 million of which came from the government and the remainder from private contributions, publications, and admissions. In 2001,
9313-433: The active lending-out of a museum's collected objects in order to enhance education at schools and to aid in the cultural development of individual members of the community. Finally, Dana saw branch museums throughout a city as a good method of making sure that every citizen has access to its benefits. Dana's view of the ideal museum sought to invest a wider variety of people in it, and was self-consciously not elitist. Since
9452-406: The art to Valencia , then later to Girona , and finally to Geneva . The art had to be returned across French territory in night trains to the museum upon the commencement of World War II. During the early years of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco , many paintings were sent to embassies. The main building was enlarged with short pavilions in the rear between 1900 and 1960. The next enlargement
9591-418: The art world. The large auction houses, such as Sotheby's , Bonhams , and Christie's , maintain large online databases of art which they have auctioned or are auctioning. Bridgeman Art Library serves as a central source of reproductions of artwork, with access limited to museums, art dealers , and other professionals or professional organizations. There are also online galleries that have been developed by
9730-509: The basement walls from falling during construction. The enlargement is an underground building which connects the main building to another one entirely reconstructed. In November 2016, it was announced that British architect Norman Foster , in a joint project with Carlos Rubio Carvajal, is to renovate the Hall of Realms , which once formed part of the Buen Retiro palace and transform it into
9869-483: The central panel, has led to a wide range of scholarly interpretations over the centuries. Twentieth-century art historians are divided as to whether the triptych's central panel is a moral warning or a panorama of the paradise lost. He painted three large triptychs (the others are The Last Judgment of c. 1482 and The Haywain Triptych of c. 1516) that can be read from left to right and in which each panel
10008-589: The collection of the Prado, with works from Spain, Ancient Egypt , Mesopotamia , Greece , and Rome . The Naval museum , managed by the Ministry of Defence , is also nearby. Between 8 November 2011 and 25 March 2012, a group of 179 works of art were brought to the Museo del Prado from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg . Notable works included: Conversely, for the first time in its 200-year history,
10147-471: The conservative government of José María Aznar decided to change the museum's financing platform, ushering in a public-private partnership. Under its new bylaws, which the Cortes Generales approved in 2003, the Prado must gradually reduce its level of state support to 50 percent from 80 percent. In exchange, the museum gained control of the budget — which was roughly €35 million in 2004 — and
10286-421: The contrast between pleasure and torture. A choir sings from a score inscribed on a pair of buttocks, part of a group that has been described as the "Musicians' Hell". The focal point of the scene is the "Tree-Man," whose cavernous torso is supported by what could be contorted arms or rotting tree trunks. His head supports a disk populated by demons and victims parading around a huge set of bagpipes—often used as
10425-458: The creatures in the foreground are fantastical imaginings, many of the animals in the mid and background are drawn from contemporary travel literature, and here Bosch is appealing to "the knowledge of a humanistic and aristocratic readership". Erhard Reuwich 's pictures for Bernhard von Breydenbach's 1486 Pilgrimages to the Holy Land were long thought to be the source for both the elephant and
10564-664: The display of art can be called an art museum or an art gallery, and the two terms may be used interchangeably. This is reflected in the names of institutions around the world, some of which are considered art galleries, such as the National Gallery in London and Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin , and some of which are considered museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and
10703-695: The display rooms in museums are often called public galleries . Also frequently, a series of rooms dedicated to specific historic periods (e.g. Ancient Egypt ) or other significant themed groupings of works (e.g. the gypsotheque or collection of plaster casts as in the Ashmolean Museum ) within a museum with a more varied collection are referred to as specific galleries, e.g. Egyptian Gallery or Cast Gallery . Works on paper, such as drawings , pastels , watercolors , prints , and photographs are typically not permanently displayed for reasons of conservation . Instead, public access to these materials
10842-403: The energy of the masculine M, makes his face different from all the others. His coal-black eyes are rigidly focused in a gaze that expresses compelling force. The nose is unusually long and boldly curved. The mouth is wide and sensual, but the lips are firmly shut in a straight line, the corners strongly marked and tightened into final points, and this strengthens the impression—already suggested by
10981-441: The enigma of content, opening up that new dimension of freedom by which painting becomes art." Fraenger titled his chapter on the high background "The Ascent to Heaven" and wrote that the airborne figures were likely intended as a link between "what is above" and "what is below," just as the left and right-hand panels represent "what was" and "what will be." The right panel (220 × 97.5 cm, 87 × 38.4 in) illustrates Hell ,
11120-704: The entire building solely intended to be an art gallery was arguably established by Sir John Soane with his design for the Dulwich Picture Gallery in 1817. This established the gallery as a series of interconnected rooms with largely uninterrupted wall spaces for hanging pictures and indirect lighting from skylights or roof lanterns . The late 19th century saw a boom in the building of public art galleries in Europe and America, becoming an essential cultural feature of larger cities. More art galleries rose up alongside museums and public libraries as part of
11259-403: The existence of the dogma of original sin —a millennial condition that would arise if, after expiation of Original Sin, humanity were permitted to return to Paradise and a state of tranquil harmony embracing all Creation." In the high distance of the background, above the hybrid stone formations, four groups of people and creatures are seen in flight. On the immediate left, a human male rides on
11398-487: The eyes—of a strong controlling will. It is an extraordinarily fascinating face, reminding us of faces of famous men, especially of Machiavelli's; and indeed, the whole aspect of the head suggests something Mediterranean, as though this man had acquired his frank, searching, superior air at Italian academies. The pointing man has variously been described as either the patron of the work (Fraenger in 1947), as an advocate of Adam denouncing Eve (Dirk Bax in 1956), as Saint John
11537-408: The first sin committed after Eve tasted the forbidden fruit was carnal lust. On a tree to the right, a snake curls around a tree trunk, while to its right, a mouse creeps; according to Fraenger, both animals are universal phallic symbols . The skyline of the center panel (220 × 195 cm, 87 × 77 in) matches exactly with that of the left wing, while the positioning of its central pool and
11676-411: The first time. The outer landscape contains hut-shaped forms, some made from stone, others are at least partially organic. Behind Eve, rabbits symbolising fecundity , play in the grass, and a dragon tree opposite is thought to represent eternal life . The background reveals several animals that would have been exotic to contemporaneous Europeans, including a giraffe, a monkey riding an elephant, and
11815-423: The foreground. The nakedness of the human figures has lost all its eroticism, and many now attempt to cover their genitalia and breasts with their hands, ashamed by their nakedness. Large explosions in the background throw light through the city gates and spill into the water in the midground; according to writer Walter S. Gibson, "their fiery reflection turning the water below into blood". The light illuminates
11954-491: The founder of the Newark Museum , saw the traditional art museum as a useless public institution, one that focused more on fashion and conformity rather than education and uplift. Indeed, Dana's ideal museum would be one best suited for active and vigorous use by the average citizen, located near the center of their daily movement. In addition, Dana's conception of the perfect museum included a wider variety of objects than
12093-533: The garden of earthly delights, and Hell . God appears as the creator of humanity in the left-hand wing, while the consequences of humanity's failure to follow his will are shown in the right. In contrast to Bosch's two other exant triptychs, The Last Judgment (around 1482) and The Haywain (after 1510), God is absent from the central panel. Instead, this panel shows humanity acting with apparent free will as naked men and women engage in various pleasure -seeking activities. According to some interpretations,
12232-424: The general public, they were often made available for viewing for a section of the public. In classical times , religious institutions began to function as an early form of art gallery. Wealthy Roman collectors of engraved gems and other precious objects, such as Julius Caesar , often donated their collections to temples. It is unclear how easy it was in practice for the public to view these items. In Europe, from
12371-507: The giraffe, though more recent research indicates the mid-15th-century humanist scholar Cyriac of Ancona 's travelogues served as Bosch's exposure to these exotic animals. According to art historian Virginia Tuttle, the scene is "highly unconventional [and] cannot be identified as any of the events from the Book of Genesis traditionally depicted in Western art." Some of the images contradict
12510-682: The innocence expected in the Garden of Eden. Tuttle and other critics have interpreted the gaze of Adam upon his wife as lustful and indicative of the Christian belief that humanity was doomed from the beginning. Gibson believes that Adam's facial expression betrays not just surprise but also expectation. According to a belief common in the Middle Ages, before the Fall, Adam and Eve would have copulated without lust solely to reproduce. Many believed that
12649-406: The lake behind it echoes the lake in the earlier scene. The center image depicts the expansive "garden" landscape, which gives the triptych its name. The panel shares a common horizon with the left wing, suggesting a spatial connection between the two scenes. The garden is teeming with male and female nudes, together with various animals, plants, and fruits. The setting is not the paradise shown in
12788-547: The largest displayed at 14,000 megapixels . The images' zoom capability allows for close-up views of paint texture and fine detail. A few meters away there are two museums of international significance, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía . Nearby is the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando . The Museo Arqueológico houses the archaeological collections formerly in
12927-707: The late Sir Robert Walpole , who had amassed one of the greatest such collections in Europe , and house it in a specially built wing of the British Museum for public viewing. After much debate, the idea was eventually abandoned due to the great expense, and twenty years later, the collection was bought by Tsaritsa Catherine the Great of Russia and housed in the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg . The Bavarian royal collection (now in
13066-405: The left foreground of the panel. Musical instruments often carried erotic connotations in works of art of the period, and lust was referred to in moralising sources as the "music of the flesh". There has also been the view that Bosch's use of music here might be a rebuke against traveling minstrels, often thought of as purveyors of bawdy song and verse. The dating of The Garden of Earthly Delights
13205-449: The left panel, nor is it based in the terrestrial realm. Fantastic creatures mingle with the real; otherwise ordinary fruits appear engorged to a gigantic size. The figures are engaged in diverse amorous sports and activities, both in couples and in groups. Gibson describes them as behaving "overtly and without shame," while art historian Laurinda Dixon writes that the human figures exhibit "a certain adolescent sexual curiosity". Many of
13344-625: The model for a tapestry that hangs at El Escorial monastery near Madrid. Upon the death of Henry III, the painting passed into the hands of his nephew William the Silent , the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau and leader of the Dutch Revolt against Spain. In 1568, however, the Duke of Alba confiscated the picture and brought it to Spain, where it became the property of one Don Fernando ,
13483-572: The monarch, and the first purpose-built national art galleries were the Dulwich Picture Gallery , founded in 1814 and the National Gallery, London opened to the public a decade later in 1824. Similarly, the National Gallery in Prague was not formed by opening an existing royal or princely art collection to the public, but was created from scratch as a joint project of some Czech aristocrats in 1796. The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
13622-600: The monastery of Santo Tomás in Ávila by Pedro Berruguete , and the five canvases by El Greco executed for the Colegio de doña María de Aragón. Most of the Museum's 19th-century paintings come from the former Museo de Arte Moderno, including works by the Madrazos, José de Madrazo y Agudo and Federico de Madrazo , Vicente López , Carlos de Haes , Eduardo Rosales and Sorolla . Upon the deposition of Isabella II in 1868,
13761-523: The municipal drive for literacy and public education. Over the middle and late twentieth century, earlier architectural styles employed for art museums (such as the Beaux-Arts style of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City or the Gothic and Renaissance Revival architecture of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum) succumbed to modern styles , such as Deconstructivism . Examples of this trend include
13900-477: The museum housed 1,510 from the various royal residences, the Reales Sitios, including works from other schools. The exceptionally important royal collection, which forms the nucleus of the present-day Museo del Prado , started to increase significantly in the 16th century during the time of Charles V and continued under the succeeding Habsburg and Bourbon monarchs. Their efforts and determination led to
14039-520: The museum now stands gave its name to the area, the Salón del Prado (later Paseo del Prado ), and to the museum itself upon nationalisation . Work on the building stopped at the conclusion of Charles III's reign and throughout the Peninsular War and was only initiated again during the reign of Charles III's grandson, Ferdinand VII . The premises had been used as headquarters for the cavalry and
14178-518: The museum was nationalized and acquired the new name of " Museo del Prado ". The building housed the royal collection of arts, and it rapidly proved too small. The first enlargement to the museum took place in 1918. Since the creation of the Museo del Prado more than 2,300 paintings have been incorporated into its collection, as well as numerous sculptures, prints, drawings and works of art through bequests, donations and purchases, which account for most of
14317-482: The museum's fine collection of Italian masters to Spain, now one of the largest outside of Italy. The collection currently comprises around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures, in addition to many other works of art and historic documents. As of 2012, the museum displayed about 1,300 works in the main buildings, while around 3,100 works were on temporary loan to various museums and official institutions. The remainder were in storage. Due to
14456-437: The numerous human figures revel in an innocent, self-absorbed joy as they engage in a wide range of activities; some appear to enjoy sensory pleasures, others play unselfconsciously in the water, and yet others cavort in meadows with a variety of animals, seemingly at one with nature. In the middle of the background, a large blue globe resembling a fruit pod rises in the middle of a lake. Visible through its circular window, there
14595-427: The numerous works that have entered the collection through purchase are some outstanding ones acquired in recent years including two works by El Greco, The Fable and The Flight into Egypt acquired in 1993 and 2001, Goya's The Countess of Chinchon bought in 2000, Velázquez's Portrait of Ferdinando Brandani , acquired in 2003, Bruegel's The Wine of Saint Martin's Day bought in 2010 and Fra Angelico's Madonna of
14734-494: The original. These copies were usually painted on a much smaller scale, and they vary considerably in quality. Many were created a generation after Bosch, and some took the form of wall tapestries . The De Beatis description, only rediscovered by Steppe in the 1960s, cast new light on the commissioning of a work that was previously thought—since it has no central religious image—to be an atypical altarpiece . Many Netherlandish diptychs intended for private use are known, and even
14873-423: The outer panels to establish a Biblical setting for the inner elements of the work, and the exterior image is generally interpreted as set in an earlier time than those in the interior. As with Bosch's Haywain Triptych , the inner centerpiece is flanked by heavenly and hellish imagery. The scenes depicted in the triptych are thought to follow a chronological order: flowing from left to right, they represent Eden ,
15012-423: The painting reflects a time before the creation of the sun and moon, which were formed, according to Christian theology, to "give light to the earth". The typical grisaille blandness of Netherlandish altarpieces served to highlight the splendid color inside. The outer panels are generally thought to depict the creation of the world, showing greenery beginning to clothe the still-pristine Earth. God , wearing
15151-602: The paintings of the Orleans Collection , which were housed in a wing of the Palais-Royal in Paris and could be visited for most of the 18th century. In Italy, the art tourism of the Grand Tour became a major industry from the 18th century onwards, and cities made efforts to make their key works accessible. The Capitoline Museums began in 1471 with a donation of classical sculpture to the city of Rome by
15290-438: The pits in your face." The women are surrounded by a parade of naked men riding horses, donkeys, unicorns , camels, and other exotic or fantastic creatures. Several men show acrobatics while riding, apparently acts designed to gain the females' attention, which highlights the attraction felt between the two sexes as groups. The two outer springs also contain both men and women cavorting with abandon. Around them, birds infest
15429-651: The place he had found at the mouth of the Orinoco was the site of the Earthly Paradise." The period in which the triptych was created was a time of adventure and discovery when tales and trophies from the New World sparked the imagination of poets, painters, and writers. Although the triptych contains many unearthly and fantastic creatures, Bosch still appealed in his images and cultural references to an elite humanist and aristocratic audience. Bosch reproduces
15568-589: The power to raise money from corporate donations and merchandising. However, its 2004 €150 million expansion was paid for by the Spanish state. The first four directors were drawn from nobility. From 1838 to 1960, the directors were mostly artists. Since then, most of them have been art historians . In 2009, the Prado Museum selected 14 of its most important paintings to be displayed in Google Earth and Google Maps at extremely high resolution, with
15707-570: The presence of any "New World" objects, stressing the presence of African ones instead. The Garden was first documented in 1517, one year after the artist's death, when Antonio de Beatis , a canon from Molfetta , Italy, described the work as part of the decoration in the town palace of the Counts of the House of Nassau in Brussels , the Nassau palace . The palace was a high-profile location,
15846-406: The right-hand panel is believed to show God's penalties in a hellscape . Art historian Charles de Tolnay believed that, through the seductive gaze of Adam , the left panel already shows God's waning influence upon the newly created earth. This view is reinforced by the rendering of God in the outer panels as a tiny figure in comparison to the immensity of the earth. According to Hans Belting ,
15985-589: The royal collection being enriched by some of the masterpieces now to be seen in the Prado. These include The Descent from the Cross (van der Weyden) by Rogier van der Weyden , The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch , The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest by El Greco , Death of the Virgin (Mantegna) by Mantegna , The Holy Family , known as " La Perla (painting) ", by Raphael , Equestrian Portrait of Charles V by Titian , Christ Washing
16124-426: The second and third chapters of Genesis , Adam and Eve's children were born after they were expelled from Eden. This has led some commentators, in particular Belting, to theorise that the panel represents the world if the two had not been driven out "among the thorns and thistles of the world". In Fraenger's view, the scene illustrates "a utopia , a garden of divine delight before the Fall, or—since Bosch could not deny
16263-409: The setting of a number of Bosch paintings. Bosch depicts a world in which humans have succumbed to temptations that lead to evil and reap eternal damnation. The tone of this final panel strikes a harsh contrast to those preceding it. The scene is set at night, and the natural beauty that adorned the earlier panels is noticeably absent. Compared to the warmth of the center panel, the right wing possesses
16402-488: The single best collection of Spanish art . Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture in 1819, it also contains important collections of other types of works. The numerous works by Francisco Goya , the single most extensively represented artist, as well as by Hieronymus Bosch , El Greco , Peter Paul Rubens , Titian , and Diego Velázquez , are some of the highlights of the collection. Velázquez and his keen eye and sensibility were also responsible for bringing much of
16541-489: The subjects are purely vegetal or perhaps include some mineral formations. Surrounding the interior of the globe is the sea , partially illuminated by beams of light shining through clouds. The exterior wings have a clear position within the sequential narrative of the work as a whole. They show an unpopulated earth composed solely of rock and plants, contrasting sharply with the inner central panel, which contains an Earth teeming with lustful humanity. Bosch may have intended
16680-424: The symbolism of their inclusion. Art historian Patrik Reuterswärd, for example, posits that they may be seen as "the noble savage " who represents "an imagined alternative to our civilized life", imbuing the panel with "a more clear-cut primitivistic note". Writer Peter Glum, in contrast, sees the figures as intrinsically connected with whoredom and lust. In a cave to their lower right, a male figure points towards
16819-611: The three inner panels seek to broadly convey the Old Testament notion that, before the Fall , there was no defined boundary between good and evil ; humanity in its innocence was unaware of consequence. The left panel (sometimes known as the Joining of Adam and Eve ) depicts a scene from the paradise of the Garden of Eden commonly interpreted as the moment when God presents Eve to Adam . The painting shows Adam waking from
16958-399: The traditional art museum, including industrial tools and handicrafts that encourage imagination in areas traditionally considered mundane. This view of the art museum envisions it as one well-suited to an industrial world, indeed enhancing it. Dana viewed paintings and sculptures as much less useful than industrial products, comparing the museum to a department store. In addition, he encouraged
17097-476: The triptych was publicly displayed in the palace of the House of Nassau, it was visible to many, and Bosch's reputation and fame quickly spread across Europe. The work's popularity can be measured by the numerous surviving copies—in oil, engraving and tapestry—commissioned by wealthy patrons, as well as by the number of forgeries in circulation after his death. Most are of the central panel only and do not deviate from
17236-403: The viewer to avoid a life of sinful pleasure. According to this view, the penalty for such sins is shown in the right panel of the triptych. In the lower right-hand corner, a man is approached by a pig wearing the veil of a nun. The pig is shown trying to seduce the man to sign legal documents. Lust is further said to be symbolised by the gigantic musical instruments and by the choral singers in
17375-450: The viewer, his conspiratorial expression a mix of wistfulness and resignation. Belting proposed that the tree-man's face is a self-portrait, citing the figure's "expression of irony and the slightly sideways gaze [which would] then constitute the signature of an artist who claimed a bizarre pictorial world for his own personal imagination". Many elements in the panel incorporate earlier iconographical conventions depicting hell. However, Bosch
17514-405: The water while winged fish crawl on land. Humans inhabit giant shells . All are surrounded by oversized fruit pods and eggshells, and both humans and animals feast on strawberries and cherries. The impression of a life lived without consequence, or what art historian Hans Belting describes as "unspoilt and pre-moral existence", is underscored by the absence of children and old people. According to
17653-494: The work as La Lujuria ("Lust"). The aristocracy of the Burgundian Netherlands , influenced by the humanist movement, were the most likely collectors of Bosch's paintings, but there are few records of the location of his works in the years immediately following his death. It is probable that the patron of the work was Engelbrecht II of Nassau , who died in 1504, or his successor Henry III of Nassau-Breda ,
17792-423: The work moved to the Museo del Prado in 1939, along with other works by Bosch. The triptych was not particularly well-preserved; the paint of the middle panel especially had flaked off around joints in the wood. However, recent restoration works have managed to recover and maintain it in a very good state of quality and preservation. The painting usually is on display in a room with other works by Bosch. Little
17931-470: The work's most controversial interpreter, the 20th-century folklorist and art historian Wilhelm Fraenger : As though enjoying the pulsation of the living blood and as though too he were setting a seal on the eternal and immutable communion between this human blood and his own. This physical contact between the Creator and Eve is repeated even more noticeably in the way Adam's toes touch the Lord's foot. Here
18070-601: The work. The wood used for panel paintings during this period customarily underwent a lengthy period of storage for seasoning purposes, so the age of the oak might be expected to predate the actual date of the painting by several years. Internal evidence, specifically the depiction of a pineapple (a " New World " fruit), suggests that the painting itself postdates Columbus' voyages to the Americas , between 1492 and 1504. The dendrochronological research brought Vermet to reconsider an early dating and, consequently, to dispute
18209-466: The yearly number of visitors from 1.8 million to 2.5 million. A glass-roofed and wedge-shaped foyer now contains the museum's shops and cafeteria, removing them from the main building to make more room for galleries. The 16th-century Cloister of Jerónimo has been removed stone by stone to make foundations for increased stability of surrounding buildings and will be re-assembled in the new museum's extension. Hydraulic jacks had to be used to prevent
18348-626: Was a continuation of trends already well established. The building now occupied by the Prado in Madrid was built before the French Revolution for the public display of parts of the royal art collection, and similar royal galleries were opened to the public in Vienna , Munich and other capitals. In Great Britain, however, the corresponding Royal Collection remained in the private hands of
18487-460: Was essential to the meaning of the whole. Each of these three works presents distinct yet linked themes addressing history and faith . Triptychs from this period were generally intended to be read sequentially, the left and right panels often portraying Eden and the Last Judgment respectively, while the main subject was contained in the centerpiece. It is not known whether The Garden
18626-563: Was for example dismissed as director of the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) in Berlin in 1933 by the new Nazi authorities for not being politically suitable. The question of the place of the art museum in its community has long been under debate. Some see art museums as fundamentally elitist institutions, while others see them as institutions with the potential for societal education and uplift. John Cotton Dana , an American librarian and museum director, as well as
18765-518: Was intended as an altarpiece , but the general view is that the extreme subject matter of the inner center and right panels make it unlikely that it was planned for a church or monastery . It has been housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid , Spain since 1939. When the triptych's wings are closed, the design of the outer panels becomes visible. Rendered in a green–gray grisaille , these panels lack colour, probably because most Netherlandish triptychs were thus painted, but possibly indicating that
18904-410: Was of equal merit to any other national school. Also, this museum needed several renovations during the 19th and 20th centuries, because of the increase of the collection as well as the increase of the public who wants to see all the collection that the museum hosted. The first catalogue of the museum, published in 1819 and solely devoted to Spanish painting, included 311 paintings, although at that time
19043-516: Was quickly abandoned after a wave of criticism. In the late 1990s, a $ 14 million roof work forced the Velázquez masterpiece Las Meninas to change galleries twice. In 1998, the Prado annex in the nearby Casón del Buen Retiro closed for a $ 10 million two-year overhaul that included three new underground levels. In 2007, the museum finally executed Rafael Moneo 's project to expand its exposition room to 16,000 square meters, hoping to increase
19182-571: Was the Green Vault of the Kingdom of Saxony in the 1720s. Privately funded museums open to the public began to be established from the 17th century onwards, often based around a collection of the cabinet of curiosities type. The first such museum was the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford , opened in 1683 to house and display the artefacts of Elias Ashmole that were given to Oxford University in
19321-576: Was the incorporation of two buildings (nearby but not adjacent) into the institutional structure of the museum: the Casón del Buen Retiro , which is equipped to display up to 400 paintings and which housed the bulk of the 20th-century art from 1971 to 1997, and the Salón de Reinos (Throne building), formerly the Army Museum. In 1993, an extension proposed by the Prado's director at the time, Felipe Garin,
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