Works by Fra Angelico passed to the collection of the Prado – The Universal

A “dream” for the Prado and for art lovers. So today presented arrival at the gallery of The Virgin of Granada , bought the House of Alba for 18 million euros (19.6 million dollars), and tablet on the death of San Antonio Abad, donated by Carlos Fitz-James Stuart.

Both works are by the Renaissance master Fra Angelico and become part of the collection of the Prado through a operation “has not been made with market value but with sense of state,” said Prado director Miguel Zugaza.

The funding of 18 million will be made to four years without interest and will backed by an extraordinary credit of ten million from the state, a contribution of four million of the Foundation Friends of the Prado Museum and four million of funds from the gallery.

The Minister of Education, Culture and Sport of Spain, Inigo Mendez de Vigo, said that the state is “not an expense but an investment for all Spanish and forever”, while the president of the Royal Museum Board, José Pedro Pérez-Llorca He said both the price and conditions of purchase, plus the donation, are “patron”, which has been named the XIX Duke of Alba de Tormes patron of honor.

This masterpiece of Quattrocento has been involved for more than two centuries to the important collection of the House of Alba and now reaches Prado after the Duke of Alba, Carlos Fitz-James, you have accepted “the proposal assessment museum, knights price “, and offer small donation table burial San Antonio Abad, the same author.

” I have been asked many times for its market value “acknowledged Zugaza adding that the unknown, although many experts are well above the 18 billion euros agreed in this operation.

To Miguel Falomir, Deputy Director of Conservation and Research of the Prado, is a ” of the most important purchases of the last 50 years in this museum “for its extraordinary quality and will likely be the best work of Fran Angelico and Florentine painting of the first half of the fifteenth century until now in private hands.

In addition, the condition called “extraordinary”, which does not share with the Florentine table donated a work “high quality” that “probably during the Civil War suffered a stroke that affected the face of some friars” and has been recently restored by Rafael Alonso.

The Virgin of Granada , an oil on board 83 by 59 centimeters, is dated around 1420 and is part of a series of virgin with child Fra Angelico painted in the decade and demonstrate their progressive mastery of anatomy, light and space.

Although ignored for whom was painted, experts say was a Custom exceptional given the extraordinary quality of the materials used, among which are abundant gold.

While Spain showed little interest in Florentine painting of the early Renaissance, has two early dropouts Fra Angelic Italy, both now in the Prado Museum: the “Annunciation” that gave Mario Farnese in 1611 the Duke of Lerma and “La Virgen de la Granada”, acquired in Florence in 1817 by Carlos Miguel Fitz-James Stuart and Silva, and today adds to the museum’s collection, but still no date display.

Although the current Duke of Alba has not been present at the press conference, said in a note that the Foundation House of Alba “I feel very proud to deliver to the Prado these true gems of European art, collected and preserved for two centuries by our family, that now can be enjoyed by all Spaniards and art lovers from around the world.”