Buen Retiro Palace

Buen Retiro Palace (Spanish: Palacio del Buen Retiro) in Madrid was a large palace complex designed by the architect Alonso Carbonell (c. 1590–1660) and built on the orders of Philip IV of Spain as a secondary residence and place of recreation (hence its name). It was built in what was then the eastern limits of the city of Madrid. Today what little remains of its buildings and gardens forms the Retiro Park.

Philip IV used to stay occasionally in some rooms annexed to the monastery of San Jerónimo el Real (close to the current location of the Prado Museum, which received the name of the Royal Quarters. The reason for these frequent visits could be that the so-called Planet King particularly enjoyed walking in the attached farm, property of the Count-Duke of Olivares, his royal favourite and minister.

Olivares, with the intention of pleasing the monarch, planned in 1629 and started in 1630 the construction of a series of offices and pavilions as an extension of the Royal Quarters, which ended up forming the Buen Retiro Palace. The building of the palace was not something planned from the start, but occurred over a period of seven years (until 1640 during which further additions were built successively). Once finished, the palace consisted of more than 20 buildings and two large open squares used for court entertainments and various other acts. The palace complex was surrounded by a large expanse of gardens and ponds, giving it a playful character.

The king only used to spend a few days per year, usually in the summer, in his second home, but a large campaign was still carried out to provide the palace with an artistic ornamental level that would match that of the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, his main residence. The lack of antique paintings in the market led to the commission of a series of paintings from Rome and Naples, which required the management of ambassadors and others of Philip IV's workers. Several of these pictures remain in the Prado Museum; some highlights are the landscapes of Claude Lorrain, Nicolas Poussin and Gaspard Dughet, Biblical and mythological scenes by Massimo Stanzione and several paintings of ancient Rome by Giovanni Lanfranco, among other artists.

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