On 31 May 1906, at the age of exactly 20, Alfonso XIII married Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Britain. Nine years later, by which time they had five children, the royal couple visited the Banco de España building, the first stone of which had been laid by Alfonso XII in July 1884, and which had been opened in 1891 by Queen Maria Christina of Habsburg-Lorraine on behalf of her son. The banking authorities decided that there should be not only documentary records but also a work of art to commemorate this official visit on 28 May 1915. The painter chosen to 'immortalise' the event was Asterio Mañanós, born in Palencia in 1861, who was later linked to official circles as curator of the art works at the Senate. The resulting painting of this high-level institutional event stands half-way between a historical work and a news item filled with anecdotes.

Its value is documentary rather than aesthetic. It shows the Board Room in its original form before the renovation of the 1930s decreased its size and concealed the stucco relief work shown at the top of the painting behind a barrel vault.

The room is presided over by the portrait of the young Alfonso XIII painted by José Villegas y Cordero in 1902, which also belongs to the Banco de España Collection. The royal couple are accompanied by Queen Maria Christina, who had acted as regent until the king came of age, the Duchess of San Carlos, the Countess of Mirasol, the Marquesses of La Torrecilla and Castel Rodrigo, Prime Minister Eduardo Dato and his Treasury Minster the Count of Bugallal, Banco de España Governor Lorenzo Domínguez Pascual, Deputy Governors Belda and García Escudero and other top-ranking civil servants. A receipt held in the records of the Secretariat reveals that the Bank paid 10,000 pesetas for the painting, in two instalments of 3,000 and 7,000 (5 July 1916). Apart from this painting, there are also numerous photos of the royal visit.

• Julián Gállego Serrano
• María José Alonso
• Carlos Martín