The beauty of the Casa Battlo came about when its owner, the wealthy textile merchant Josep Battlo, became bored with its exterior when compared to that of its neighbours. Therefore, in 1904, he sought out Gaudi’s assistance in giving the building a facelift that would make it worthy of its location. Gaudi promised to pull out all the stops on this commission and from the start, everyone involved was expecting something completely different from Gaudi. In his own words, Gaudi promised that: ‘The corners will vanish, ad the material will reveal itself in the wealth of its astral curves… and it will be like a vision of Paradise’.

One of the largest allegories of the story of St George and the Dragon to be found anywhere, Gaudi was to be seen, during its construction, standing in the middle of the Passeig de Gracia, directing dozens of workers on where to place the blue tiles that composed the dragon’s scaly skin.

To top off the project, Gaudi sought the assistance of his friend Josep Maria Jujol who tiled the entire roof of the building in a sublime blue representing the dragon’s back. In fact, the arched window on the roof was actually a peephole for Gaudi to monitor the progress.