Albert Frederick Calvert

“ The choice of a situation for the building accords with all that we know of Philip’s trend of thought and feeling in middle life. He was not hasty in determining the position for the upraising of his monument. The place must be solitary, stern,{8} and amid impressive surroundings, where nature is seen in a mood of perennial musing and melancholy. No doubt the king wandered often in the wastes of Castile, among the rocks, the treeless plains, and the mountainous surrounding of Madrid, in quest of a suitable site for his hermitage and sanctuary. ”

“ WHILE the names of Murillo and Velazquez are inseparably linked in the history of Art as Spain’s immortal contribution to the small band of world-painters, the great Court-Painter to Philip IV. has ever received the lion’s share of public attention. ”

“ The Escorial was a royal hobby. But for us it is something more, for it illustrates in divers ways the thought, fancy, and idiosyncrasy of an enigmatic personality. And more than this, the building instructs us in the temper of a memorable age, profound in faith, zealous in patriotism, and conspicuous in martial valour. An inspection of the Escorial is as the reading of a long and remarkable chapter in the history of Spain.
In accordance with his father’s wishes, Philip III. began to build the present burial-vaults soon after his accession to the throne. ”

“ Ferdinand, is still the Queen of Andalusia, the Spanish Athens, the foster-mother of Velazquez and Murillo, the city of poets and pageantry and love.
Seville is always gay, and responsive and fascinating to the receptive visitor, and all sorts of people go there with all sorts of motives. The artist repairs to the Andalusian city to fill his portfolio; the lover of art makes the pilgrimage to study Murillo in all his glory. The seasons of the Church attract thousands from reasons of devotion or curiosity. ”

“ The genius of Goya was a robust, imperious, and fulminating genius; his iron temperament was passionate, dramatic, and revolutionary; he painted a picture as he would have fought a battle. He was an athletic, warlike, and indefatigable painter; a naturalist like Velazquez; fantastic like Hogarth; eccentric like Rembrandt; the last flame-coloured flash of Spanish genius.
It is impossible to reproduce his colouring ”

“ He believes that the power and virility upon which Spain built up her greatness is reasserting itself. The machinery of the theatre of Toledo is rusty, the pulleys are jammed from long disuse, but the curtain is rising steadily if slowly, and already can be heard the tuning-up of fiddles in its ancient orchestra. ”

“ The Escorial reflects the genius of Spain at the period following upon the final emancipation from the sway of the Moors. It is an image, as it were, of the powerful monarch who founded it, and spent so many years of his life in superintending the construction and decoration of the building. The Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo del Escorial is a repository of many of the world’s masterpieces of art, a library of rare and costly manuscripts and volumes, a sumptuous hermitage, a college, and a sanctuary. ”

“ Lawrence a temple of divine magnificence, to his ancestors, a Christian mausoleum; to the Hieronymite recluses an august habitation; and to the world a structure which it can never sufficiently admire.’
In the eyes of the Spanish subjects of Philip, the Real Monasterio, or Real Sitio (Royal Residence) , constituted the ‘eighth wonder of the world.’ Such a magnificent palace had not been seen in Spain since the palmy days of the Moorish potentates of Granada and Cordova. In no sense, however, could the Escorial be likened to the buildings of Morisco genius. ”

“ THE CHURCH From the point of view of architectural beauty, the Church of the Escorial is the finest of the several buildings within the walls. The eye is at once arrested by the tall towers on either side, the immense dome, with its superimposed massive lantern and cross, and the portals of the vestibule. As for the height of the towers, it is safe to say that they are considerably over 200 feet, though writers variously give the height as 260 feet and 270 feet. The structure is of granite throughout, huge in its plan, and severe in its Doric simplicity. ”

“ The chief chapel is approached by an arch on three pillars, dividing it from the other parts of the edifice, and the altar is of marble and jasper. It was consecrated in 1595 by Philip II., in honour of the Blessed San Lorenzo, and within were placed the relics of San Pedro, San Tomas, San Sebastian, and other holy personages. The fine work on the screen cannot be well seen in the uncertain light; but it merits close inspection for its scheme of exemplifying all the orders of pagan architecture in jasper and bronze. ”

“ A GUIDE AND HANDBOOK TO THE ROYAL PICTURE GALLERY OF MADRID. ILLUSTRATED WITH 221 REPRODUCTIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS OF OLD MASTERS
THIS volume is an attempt to supplement the accurate but formal notes contained in the official catalogue of a gallery which is considered the finest in the world. It has been said that the day one enters the Prado for the first time is an important event like marriage, the birth of a child, or the coming into an inheritance; an experience of which one feels the effects to the day of one’s death. ”

“ An ascent can be made to the top of the dome, where there are a large lantern, a spire, and a tall weathercock above the cupola. The height from the ground is 330 feet. In the pyramidal spire, Philip II. enclosed a case containing relics of St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Barbara.
The pavement of the church is made of variegated marbles. In the reign of Charles II., the vaulting of the principal dome was pointed, but before the time of that monarch, it was stuccoed, and spangled with blue stars. Giordano was commissioned with the work of decorating this part of the building with eight frescoes. ”

“ The doorway of the vaults is of marble and bronze, and there is a tablet with the following inscription: ‘To the very good and very great God; sacred spot dedicated by the piety of the Austrian dynasty to the mortal remains of the Catholic kings, who await the desired day under the high altar consecrated to the Redeemer of the human race. Charles V., most glorious of the emperors, resolved this place to be the last bed of himself and his lineage; Philip II., the wisest of kings, designed it; Philip III., a monarch sincerely pious, continued the work ”

“ We have seen how from his earliest manhood the king valued culture and esteemed the arts, and the University of the Escorial was his tribute to learning, just as the Monastery and the Church bore testimony of his zeal for the Faith of Rome. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The Hall of Battles is adorned with a number of fresco-paintings representing various combats. The battle of Higueruela, which was fought against the Moors by Don John in 1431, was painted by two Italians, Granelo and Fabricio, from an old battlepiece which was found at Segovia. Philip II. was much interested in this picture, and he ordered the two artists to reproduce it in a huge mural painting. The work was divided into eight sections, depicting various scenes in the great encounter with the infidels, and the king was well satisfied with the fresco. ”

“ The altar of the Sacristy has carvings in marble upon the screen, and a painting by Coello, containing portraits of several notable persons, including Charles II. Coello worked for about six years upon this picture, which was first undertaken by Rizzi, who was overtaken by death during his labours.
Surrounding all the altars of the church are paintings of more or less interest, which principally demonstrate the Italian influence. Luis de Carbajal is the painter of several of these pictures. He was the pupil of Juan Villoldo, a very mannered artist, and a follower of Navarrete. ”