Birds flying in the Prado Museum, Madrid

Post image for Birds flying in the Prado Museum, Madrid

by TomMckinney on December 2, 2010 · 4 comments

in Birding News

Currently on Birdlife International’s website, a new book detailing the 136 species of birds found in paintings in the Prado Museum collection:

http://www.birdlife.org/community/2010/12/birds-flying-in-the-prado-museum/

In 2008 I was lucky enough to visit the Prado museum in Madrid, probably the world’s greatest art gallery – it’s an incredible place. The painting that grabbed my attention most of all was The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch, a three-paneled masterwork painted c1500 depicting The Garden of Eden, the sins committed in real life, and Hell. It blends reality with some of the craziest surreal imagery you could possibly imagine. It also has lots of accurately painted European birds. Have a look in the link below, and especially in the central panel of the painting, and see how many species you can identify (you can zoom in for a closer look):

http://www.computus.org/journal/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/the-garden-of-earthly-delights.jpg

And check out the pig dressed as a nun in the bottom right corner on the panel of Hell. Pretty mental stuff!

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Tagged as: birdlife international, Bosch, Joaquín Gómez Cano, madrid, prado museum

Article by Tom Mckinney

Tom McKinney has been birding for over 20 years and has birded on every continent, other than the continents he's not yet been to. He is famed for having found Britain's first Gray's Grasshopper Warbler and then waking up and realising it had all been a beautiful, beautiful dream. When not birding he enjoys going to Ladbrokes and writing short biographical entries about himself in a 3rd person voice.

Tom has written 49 awesome articles for us.

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  • http://www.birderslibrary.com Birder’s Library

    My wife desperately wants to go back to Spain. When we do, I’ll have to make sure to look for this.

    • Stephen

      Come down to Andalucia and The >Strait of Gibraltar and the start of the (earlier each year…) migration season and I’ll show you personally, or point you in the right direction to what’s current…
      Regards, Stephen Daly

  • http://www.europevoyage.net/prado-museum-hub-of-the-superb-european-art.html Prado museum

    Its looking spectacular. I must say everyone should pay a visit to this home of art masterpieces.

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