Includes bibliographical references (p. 656-659) and index.

The collection of the Prado Museum in Madrid is among the most prestigious in the world. Its riches include paintings that once decorated the palaces of kings and emperors and by the most renowned names in the history of Western art -- Botticelli, Bosch, Bruegel, Tintoretto, Titian, El Greco, Velazquez, Rubens, Goya, and scores of other artists. This handsome volume, prepared in cooperation with the Prado, presents more than 800 of the museum's magnificent paintings.

Eminent art historians describe the works themselves and their social, cultural, and political contexts, and discuss the collection as a whole, which reflects the changing tastes and styles of the past 500 years. The vivid colorplates, made from specially taken photographs, are fully integrated with the text.