Libraries of the World: For the first time the Prado Museum displays treasures from its library

The Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain has for the first time ever exhibited treasures, housed at its library.

The exhibition is organized into three sections: "Bibliotheca artis" (Library of Art), "Bibliotheca architecturae" (Library of Architecture) and “Bibliotheca imaginis” (Library of the Image). The first one is the most important. On display are first editions of the key texts on painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Daniele Barbaro and Dürer. The exhibition puts on show original versions of many of texts.

The second section brings together a selected group of architectural treaties. The key theme is the Italian Renaissance, with important editions of works by Vignola and Palladio. However there are also older works, for instance, by Roman architect Vitruvius, who lived in 1st c. BC.  

The third section focuses on the important role that book illustrations played in European art in the early modern age.

The exhibition kicked off on October 5 and will be available up to January 30 2011.