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Yup, those lovely people at Google have done it again.  Art lovers the world over can now stroll through and view The Prado collection online or rather, “14 of the most important works in the museum” including masterpieces by Bosch, Francisco de Goya, Diego Velázquez, Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt.

The Prado in Google splash page gives you the option of viewing it in Google Earth, or in Google Maps. (You will need to click “Save to my maps”)  These will let you view the pieces in ultra high resolution, meaning that you get to zoom right in and see all the fine details, bringing you far closer than it would be possible with the originals.  Some of the pieces are 3 metres high and art galleries are not in the habit of providing ladders.

Here’s the “making-of” video.

Of course, it won’t be anything like seeing the pieces in person, but it’s the next best thing short of buying yourself a plane ticket to Madrid.

[via guardian.co.uk]