Near the Prior’s seat is an altar with a Crucifix, and close by we shall find two paintings of Our Lady and San Juan, by Navarrete, sometimes called El Mudo. This painter was influenced by the Venetian tradition, though it is doubtful whether he worked under Titian. In 1568 Navarrete was invited by Philip to the Escorial, where he executed some work upon the high altar. A few years later the artist was commanded to paint other thirty-two pictures for the king. El Mudo was accused of indecorum in his work by representing angels with beards, and this is shown by the contract with the high clerics of the Escorial, who laid down that: ‘Whenever the figure of a saint is repeated by painting it several times, the face shall be represented in the same manner, and likewise the garments shall be of the same colour, and if any saint has a portrait which is peculiar to him, he shall be painted according to such portrait, which shall be sought out with diligence wherever it may be; and in the aforesaid picture the artist shall not introduce any cat or dog or other unbecoming figure, but only saints and such things as incite to devotion.’ One of the wall paintings of the Choir represents San Geronimo, or St. Jerome, expounding the Scriptures; another shows him writing, and a third depicts the interment of the saint, San Lorenzo, while the Pope is the subject of one of the frescoes, which were painted by Cincinato. The pictures by Lugato in this part of the church illustrate Charity, Hope, Faith, Prudence, and Justice, while others portray San Lorenzo and San Geronimo. During the struggle with France many objects of art were removed from the Choir. The organs are exceedingly handsome. One of them is said to be the finest in tone in the Peninsula. By the side of the chief choir are the lesser cross, or choirs, containing a small marble capilla. The statue of San Lorenzo was carved from a Roman effigy, which was headless and without limbs when it came into the possession of Philip II. Giordano’s ceiling is painted with episodes in the life of David. This painter was a follower of the powerful Ribera, and his influence upon Spanish art was somewhat detrimental, for he imposed an alien style, and produced works that example the decline of the Spanish schools. A hall behind the ante-choir is known as the Library, and here the music books are stored. The books are very beautifully bound, and written by masters of the art of caligraphy. There are three pictures in this apartment: the best is by Navarrete, a scene of the ‘Crucifixion’, with San Juan and the Virgin. The work by Herrera Barnuevo is poor. Van Bosch, or El Bosco as he was styled in Spain, painted the allegorical picture in this hall.