lThis book is the result of many years of reading documents found in the Madrid Historical Archive of Protocolos and the Madrid parish archives. Contracts, wills, dowry letters, and birth, marriage and death certificates are indispensable for documenting the lives and careers of those who have devoted themselves to embellishing our temples with altarpieces and sculptures and decorating palaces and public places. The artists are in alphabetical order with the documents ordered chronologically. There are indexes for surnames and place names, and a iconographical index.