the apartments occupied by philip ii. were in the north-east corner of the edifice, and they are entered by the north façade. this was the retreat of the moody monarch, and it accords with his love of seclusion and the simplicity of his desires, though the additions of succeeding sovereigns have rendered the palace more luxurious and richer in decoration and art treasures. philip’s own apartment, where he died, is more like the cell of a hermit than the chamber of a king. there is a tiled floor to the room, an absence of ornamentation, and an atmosphere of severe gloom.
here are some relics of the king—his bookcase, writing-table, a few chairs, and the stools upon which he laid his foot when attacked by the gout. from this chamber philip could peep into the church during the celebration of services and hear the voices of the friars at their devo{66}tions. by opening a panel, the king was able to look upon the high altar and to catch the odour of the incense.
the fine staircase of the palace was the work of ventura rodriguez, and it was built in the reign of carlos iv. in the lower gallery there are pictures of historical interest, some of them being the original works painted for the founder of the escorial. they are chiefly battlepieces; and one is a copy of the fresco in the hall of battles. among the pictures are the ‘siege of grave,’ the ‘siege of calais,’ the ‘christian fleet attacking the turks,’ ‘battle at amiens,’ and the ‘fleet entering the port of messina.’
the most important tapestries of the escorial are in the palace. they were designed by the gifted goya and by maëlla, one of the lesser painters of the eighteenth century. goya’s designs are typically spanish, and deserve the closest attention. the tapestries were mostly made in madrid, though those from designs by teniers were woven in holland, and a few are of french and italian manufacture. the tapestry works are of exceptional design and are scarcely excelled by any in europe. goya’s success as a designer of tapestry cartoons gained him election to the académia de san fernando, and charles iv.{67} appointed him pintor de cámara del rey, or court artist.
in the apartments of the prince there are some noteworthy pictures of the italian school, and an old dutch tapestry adorns the wall of one room. but finer paintings are in the apartments of the princess, where alonso cano’s genius is shown in the virgin and the infant christ. pantoja’s portrait of philip ii., painted on wood, is here. the head of christ by guido reni is in the bedroom; and another sleeping apartment is decorated with a tapestry from the designs of a flemish artist. the drawing-room contains a tapestry of spanish design, and there are tapestries in the nurse-room and play-room.
the chief picture in the workroom is one of san antonio by the powerful ribera. three portraits by mengs hang here: one of charles iii. in mail, and the others of maria josephine, daughter of charles, and maria luisa, wife of leopold of austria, the archduke.
in the reception hall there is a portrait of the duque de olivares, said to be by velazquez, but the authenticity is dubious.
the picture of pope innocent x. is a copy of velazquez’s portrait. among the other portraits in this hall are isabel, wife of philip ii. there{68} are a few landscape paintings, and one or two works of minor painters of the italian school.
the corridor of the hall of the caryatides is supposed to represent the handle of the gridiron upon which the patron saint of the escorial was martyred for his faith. this is an almost square apartment, designed in the doric style. there are two fountains in marble, with figures of caryatides pouring water into the basins.
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. there are two pictures of philip’s battleships in action at either end of the ‘battle of higueruela.’ other martial subjects are treated. they are: ‘a review by philip ii.,’ the ‘battle of lisbon under the duke of alba,’ the ‘capture of{69} noyon,’ the ‘firing of a city,’ the ‘departure from st. quintin,’ the ‘capture of a fort,’ the ‘attack on st. quintin,’ the ‘spanish troops under philibert,’ ‘a battle,’ and ‘before the siege of st. quintin.’
the ceiling of the hall of battles is adorned with quaint pictures.
the apartments of the queen are daintily decorated with tapestries, some by spanish and others by dutch designers, while the hangings are of amber silk. in the oratory of the queen there is an altar with a painting of the ‘virgin and the infant jesus.’ the painter was juan de juanes, sometimes called vicente joanes, or juan macip. according to c. gasquoine hartley, in a record of spanish painting, this artist was ‘the first great exponent’ of the art of the valencian school. ‘he is one of the national painters of spain. to some extent his painting was imbued with the italian ideal, and it is possible that he received his artistic training in italy; but the spanish personality of his work is rarely obscured. the intense religious solemnity, the decorous purity, the vigorous handling, the careful painting of details, the luminous warmth of colour, the lack of creative imagination, the disregard of beauty, the tendency to exaggeration, all the{70} virtue and all the limitation of the painters of spain are outlined in his work.’
little is known of the life of juanes. he was a valencian by birth, and he painted several pictures in the churches of his province. juanes was a devoutly religious man, and his work shows a strong bias for mysticism and warm piety. he was an industrious painter; his work ranges from portraits to large subject pictures, and there are many of his paintings in valencia. juanes died in 1579, and his style is seen in the pictures produced by his pupils, who are, however, unimbued with his genius. ‘with juanes,’ writes c. gasquoine hartley, ‘we close the record of the early hispano-italian painters.’
in the bedroom of the queen there is a tapestry and a ceiling by lópez, who also designed the ceiling of the dressing-room.
we have already noted the tapestries in the apartments of the princess. the carved rooms demand inspection, for they contain examples of rare decoration in woods. the carvings and the inlaid work of these rooms cost a very large sum. woods of the rarest and finest were employed for the adornment of the apartments, and gilt and gold were lavished upon the walls. the pictures painted on copper are by montalbo, and the{71} ceiling painting was intrusted to maëlla. blue upholstery decks the seats. there are four of these sumptuously decorated chambers. the third of them has a ceiling-painting by galvez. in the fourth room, maëlla painted the ceiling, and the walls are adorned in green and gold. there are a few pictures here, but none of striking worth. the oratory contains a tapestry of spanish design. on the altar there is a picture by giordano representing santa anna, st. joachim, and the holy mother.
the reception room of this portion of the palace is decorated with tapestry, and the ceiling is painted by lópez. in the antechamber, billiard room, and the offices adjacent, there are more tapestries.
we have made our survey of this remarkable pile, which contains a treasure house of works of art, an institution of learning, a convent, a palace, and a church. surely such a composite building is not to be seen in any other quarter of the world. nor is there any other edifice of such importance and grandeur amid surroundings so savage and primitive. the royal monastery of the escorial is indeed an unique structure, historically instructive, and of deep interest for the architect, the art student, and the philosopher. it{72} is a reflection and a symbol of spain and of philip ii.; the building, in its sombre setting of grey crags and shadowy woods, has an indefinable atmosphere, a potent fascination.
