The bold and unusual religious paintings of the Spanish artist El Greco (c. 1541-1614) have aroused widespread interest and wonder, yet little has been known about the artist's patrons. This is a comprehensive study of the several individuals who financed, encouraged and influenced El Greco's extraordinary artistic endeavours. Mann reconstructs the lives of several of the artist's patrons and demonstrates how El Greco's pictorial ensemble reflected the patrons' concerns. Thus the actual context of El Greco's work is established. The book indicates that the artist's patrons helped to shape both the style and iconography of the paintings, and clarifies the precise nature of the connection between the paintings and Spanish mysticism. In studying the purposes and meaning of El Greco's religious paintings, the author thereby provides the basis for an alternative interpretation of the artist's work and presents many insights into life in sixteenth-century Spain.