A Botanical Stroll through the Prado

This volume focuses on thirty botanical species represented in as many works in the Museo del Prado: outstanding paintings and sculptures from the permanent collection, such as Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, Van der Weyden's The Descent from the Cross and Fra Angelico's The Annunciation. Each of the thirty plants is accompanied by a commentary by Eduardo Barba and a botanical illustration by Juan Luis Castillo, as well as a complete detailed reproduction of the work in the Museum.

In the words of Eduardo Barba: ‘Many works of art are full of plants. In others, they are a little more hidden. In all cases, botany is an indispensable part of the story that the artist wants to tell: there are flowers that allude to the dynasty of the person portrayed, leaves that sum up a feeling, trees that transmit to the scene qualities that are specific to them. The species chosen could be present in the artist's surroundings, even at the foot of his studio. On other occasions, however, and as a result of expeditions to different parts of the world, exotic plants from distant countries were incorporated, enriching the artistic flora, especially from the 16th century onwards. In any case, the works of art bear witness to the fascinating ability of artists to observe the natural environment, who portrayed plants with delicacy, as if they were just another character.’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eduardo Barba is a landscape gardener and lecturer, specialising in research into the botanical aspects of works of art. He has published several books dealing with plants in a range of contexts, and regularly talks about gardening both in the press and on the radio. He also specialises in identifying plant species appearing in works of art, for national and foreign collections. The results of his botanical research are largely made known through the Museo del Prado, via catalogue essays, lectures and the museum’s social media.

ISBN: 978-84-8480-624-0