The San Diego Museum of Art presents The Invention of Glory. Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries, an exhibition on view from June 10 to Sept. 9, 2012.
The Conquest of Tangier, (detail) c. 1471-1475, wool and silk tapestry, overall: 400 x 1082 cm (157 1/2 x 426 in.), Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Pastrana (Guadalajara). ©Fundación Carlos de Amberes. Photographs by Paul M.R. Maeyaert.
The impressive exhibition is comprised of four recently restored, monumental tapestries, each measuring 12 by 36 feet. Woven in Tournai (in modern-day Belgium) at the end of the 15th century, the tapestries were commissioned for the Portuguese Royal Court and commemorate King Afonso V’s conquest in 1471 of the Moroccan cities of Asilah and Tangier, located near the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. They are among the rarest and earliest examples of tapestries created to celebrate what were then contemporary events, instead of allegorical or religious subjects, but the designer minimized the misery of warfare and reinvented the event with the heroic image of Afonso and the ideals of chivalry in mind.
Due to the tapestries’ outstanding quality and historical significance, the Spanish government listed the work of art as cultural patrimony to be safeguarded during the Spanish Civil War. The Pastrana Tapestries are property of The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Pastrana, Spain, 50 miles east of Madrid.
“This extraordinary exhibition comes to The San Diego Museum of Art in part because these tapestries, created for the court in Portugal and long part of the heritage of Spain, have a natural connection with the Spanish art that is at the core of our old masters collection,” says Roxana Velásquez, Director of The San Diego Museum of Art. “The quality, beauty, and historical relevance of these tapestries offers a unique opportunity to enjoy this high art form of the 15th century. By viewing these magnificent works up close, visitors can develop a deeper understanding of both the art form and the stories they tell.”
The Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries will travel to The San Diego Museum of Art in time for its popular weekly Summer Salon Series, which will run concurrently with the tapestry exhibition, reflecting the theme “Beyond the Banner” a historical re-examination of the 15th century Pastrana Tapestries, investigating the fictions of our own information age.
The San Diego Museum of Art
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Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
(619) 232-7931
www.sdmart.org