Armchair tourists who are used to travelling the globe with Google Earth can now use the same technology to crawl all over the masterpieces in one of the world’s most famous galleries: the Prado.

The Madrid museum and the internet search giant have unveiled the first use of Google’s mapping programme to allow art lovers to get so close to their favourite paintings that even the brush strokes are visible.

“It allows people to see the main masterworks in the museum as they never have done before,” the museum said. “You can see details that the human eye alone is unable to see.”

Later you will be able to stab the paintings with virtual knives – something many people dream of but technology finally makes it possible.