Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Spain’s national archaeological museum, in a grand Neoclassical palace on Madrid’s swishest street, is seriously impressive. Its most celebrated pieces are the Iberian sculptures La Dama de Elche and La Dama de Baza from the 4th century b.c., discovered respectively in 1897 and 1971. The limestone busts depict highborn women in elaborate headgear and were probably used for funerary rituals. The museum’s scope is vast, from pre-history through Roman sculpture and mosaics, jeweled Visigoth crowns and crosses, intricate Islamic art, and a riveting collection of coins. There are also reproductions of the cave paintings of Altamira and Sevilla’s Carambolo Treasure, which is linked to the enigmatic Tartessian civilization.
Spain’s national archaeological museum, in a grand Neoclassical palace on Madrid’s swishest street, is seriously impressive. Its most celebrated pieces are the Iberian sculptures La Dama de Elche and La Dama de Baza from the 4th century b.c., discovered respectively in 1897 and 1971. The limestone busts depict highborn women in elaborate headgear and were probably used for funerary rituals. The museum’s scope is vast, from pre-history through Roman sculpture and mosaics, jeweled Visigoth crowns and crosses, intricate Islamic art, and a riveting collection of coins. There are also reproductions of the cave paintings of Altamira and Sevilla’s Carambolo Treasure, which is linked to the enigmatic Tartessian civilization.
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