National Museum of Archaeology

This guide to the National Museum of Archaeology in Madrid follows the Lady of Elche, a limestone bust unearthed by farm workers outside Elche in 1897, from its discovery through decades abroad in the Louvre and hiding from wartime bombing in a French castle, to its return to Spain in 1941 in trade for two Old Master paintings. It lingers on the strange opening carved into the back of her head, a detail generations of visitors walked past without asking about. Look closely at her expression before you learn what scientists eventually found inside.