Since 2013, the Bank of Spain and the Museo del Prado have had a training and research scholarship collaboration agreement in place. As part of the scheme, the Prado has just published a new call for applications for scholarships in the areas of Conservation of Italian and French Baroque Painting and Conservation of the Frames Collection. The scholarships, worth €40,000, are fully financed by the Banco de España and have a duration of twenty-four (consecutive) months. The deadline for submitting applications is 28 April 2025.

The first of the scholarships ‘will be devoted to education and research, as well as technical training for specialists in Italian and French Baroque painting, with particular stress on research and support in preparing an exhibition project on Spanish Lombardy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries’. The second targets ‘education and research, as well as technical training for specialists in tasks related to the research, arrangement, documentation and cataloguing of the Museo del Prado’s frame collection’.

In both cases, the scholarships will cover ‘training in any of the activities’ carried out in the respective departments ‘related to research, cataloguing, documentation, study, dissemination and conservation of the [Prado’s] collection’.

To be eligible for the scholarship in Conservation of Italian and French Baroque Painting, applicants must hold a PhD in art history and/or heritage (or be enrolled in doctoral studies in the field) and have completed the studies leading to the degree no earlier than January 2015. In the case of the scholarship on Conservation of the Frame Collection, applicants must have a BA or equivalent in art history and must have completed the studies leading to the degree no earlier than January 2017.

For both scholarships, candidates must have an academic record with an average grade of ‘B’ (notable) or higher. Academic records with an average grade lower than a ‘B’ (notable) or equivalent (lower than 2 points on a scale of 0 to 4 or lower than 7 points on a scale of 0 to 10) will be disqualified.

 Applicants must submit an original report of a maximum length of 2,000 words in addition to providing proof of knowledge and accreditable professional experience. In the case of the scholarship in the Conservation of Italian and French Baroque Painting, the report should set out their ‘knowledge of Italian and French Baroque Painting, and specifically of the art of Spanish Lombardy. In the case of the scholarship for the Conservation of the Frame Collection, it should cover their ‘knowledge of frames, especially in Europe and the Museo del Prado’s collection of frames’.

The complete terms and conditions governing this call, including the specific instructions for submitting applications and the evaluation criteria for selecting candidates are available through this link to the Scholarships Section of the Museo del Prado website.