Museu de les Arts Decoratives

Ciao Blogworld!
Sorry I've been MIA for so long...I never realized life with a toddler would absorb so much of what was yesterday's down time. I hope to pick up the pace this summer.

Meanwhile, I found some photos I took while visiting the Decorative Arts Museum in Barcelona (before baby). It was designed by Gaudí for one of his major patrons, Eusebi Güell.

This Italianate-style palace was officially opened by King Alfonso XIII in 1926. It now belongs to Barcelona's Town Hall and is a museum and is rented out for special social or business functions.

The beautifully landscaped formal gardens with the two museums take up one wing of the palace and are open to the public.

Those museums are called the Museu de les Arts Decoratives (Museum of Decorative Arts) and Museu de Ceràmica (Ceramics Museum). They display a fine collection of period furniture, stained-glass, gold and silver, porcelain and antique clocks. You'll see some outstanding original ceramics by Miró and Picasso as well.

The photos captured inside the museum were taken before I was stopped by a docent alerting me to the forbidden photography policy.

Unfortunately, I cannot find my notes regarding what objects are in these photos.

However, I thought the few pieces I captured would help inspire anyone that has an interest in Decorative arts to make this a destination if they get the chance to visit Barcelona, Spain.

The palace is definitely worth visiting, however, it was sparsely furnished in comparison to other european palaces I have visited. And, its scale was small relative to other royal homes that have been turned into museums.

Nevertheless, if you are in Barcelona, it is worth the trip. I specifically remember the relief I felt in the shaded forested gardens on the hot summer day I visited. ThePalace sits high above the city and was a great escape.

Much of what I recall seeing resembled the Moorish influence on the Spanish colonial era.