This historic house-palace forms an excellent example of the Spanish tastes and collections in the closing decades of the 19th century. It preserves the essence of the period in which it was created, by the 17th Marqués de Cerralbo, bearing witness to the lifestyle of the members of Madrid’s high society at that time. The rooms of the Museum are very evocative. They include the Arabian Room, reflecting the taste for things Oriental; the Room of Little Columns, where gods of Antiquity stand on the centre table; the Gala Dining Room, which recalls a time of formal full-dress dinners; the Billiards Room and the Chamfer Room, which were used for conversation and recreation; the Galleries, where the masterpieces of the Collection were displayed, and the Ballroom, where the Venetian mirrors and the agate panels highlight the paintings on the ceiling, depicting the history of Dance.The picture gallery features works of the great masters such as Tintoretto, El Greco, Zurbarán, Alonso Cano, Frans Snyders, Bronzino and Van der Hamen; while the valuable holdings of Oriental art, lamps and clocks make this an important Collection in the field of design and the Decorative Arts.