Museo Lázaro Galdiano

Overview

Housed in a beautifully decorated early 20th-century mansion, the Museo Lázaro Galdiano contains an extraordinary private collection amassed by the financier and publisher José Lázaro Galdiano across 70 years of compulsive collecting.

Highlights

• Goya's Witches' Sabbath: The intensely disturbing small painting El Aquelarre depicting a goat-devil presiding over a circle of witches.
• The Treasure Room: A vault of medieval enamels, Renaissance jewellery, Gothic ivory carvings, and sword hilts spanning 15 centuries.
• Old Masters: Works by El Greco, Hieronymus Bosch, Constable, and Gainsborough hung across four magnificently decorated floors.

History

José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947) acquired over 12,600 objects spanning painting, sculpture, jewellery, textiles, and coins. His neo-Renaissance mansion, Parque Florido, was completed in 1903. He donated everything to the state in 1947.

Visitor Tips

• Ceiling Frescoes: Don't forget to look up—the ornate painted ceilings are art objects in themselves.
• Quiet Visit: This museum receives a fraction of the visitors of the Prado, allowing intimate viewing.
• Duration: 1–1.5 hours.