THE SPANISH SERIES THE ESCORIAL THE SPANISH SERIES _EDITED BY ALBERT F. CALVERT_ SEVILLE MURILLO CORDOVA THE PRADO THE ESCORIAL SPANISH ARMS AND ARMOUR _In preparation_-- GOYA TOLEDO MADRID VELAZQUEZ GRANADA AND ALHAMBRA ROYAL PALACES OF SPAIN LEON, BURGOS & SALAMANCA VALLADOLID, OVIEDO, SEGOVIA, ZAMORA, AVILA & ZARAGOZA THE ESCORIAL A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE SPANISH ROYAL PALACE, MONASTERY AND MAUSOLEUM, BY ALBERT F. CALVERT, WITH 278 ILLUSTRATIONS LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMVII Edinburgh: T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty _To His Excellency_ _SEÑOR DON WENCESLAO R. DE VILLA-URRUTIA._ _Your Excellency_, _In putting forth this modest account of the Escorial, that marvellous monument to the Hapsburg dynasty, I beg to inscribe it to your Excellency, as a tribute of my esteem and an expression of admiration of your Excellency’s great work in the interests of Spain, and as historian of ‘The Relations between Spain and Austria during the Reign of the Empress Margaret.’_ _I am, Your Excellency’s Sincere and obliged, ALBERT F. CALVERT._ PREFACE No work dealing exclusively with the Royal Palace and Monastery of the Escorial, and purporting to give a full historical and descriptive account of that remarkable monument of Philip II. of Spain, has hitherto been published in England. In this volume I have endeavoured to present, in condensed form, a history of the founding and building of the edifice, to deal in detail with the more interesting features of its architecture, and to describe the pictures, fresco paintings, illuminated missals, and other works of art contained in the several portions of this great composite pile.