Following a year of cultural exchange between Spain and Russia, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has set up a mini-musuem inside the Prado Museum in Madrid. Treasures on display include this Faberge bouquet of flowers, from around 1900.
Both the Prado and the Hermitage's collections are world-class.
Pictured is "The Fall of Haman," a painting by Rembrandt van Rijn from the Hermitage and on display at the Prado.
A terracotta sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, dating from around 1647, is one of the highlights of the exhibition "The Hermitage in the Prado."
"Tavern Scene," by Diego Velázquez, is a rare, early work by the artist, from the Hermitage.
Other masterworks from the Hermitage and on display in Madrid include "Te avae no Maria" (The Month of Mary), by French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin.
Also included in the 180-item exhibit in Spain is "Lute Player," by Caravaggio.
The Rafael Hall at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, the State Hermitage Museum contains around three million objects in its collections.