The Pastrana Tapestries ( pt, Tapeçarias de Pastrana) are four large tapestries commissioned by king

Afonso V of Portugal Afonso V () (15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa. ...

to celebrate the successful conquest of the Moroccan cities of

Asilah Asilah (; ar, أزيلا or أصيلة; pt, Arzila; es, Arcila) is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about south of Tangier. Its ramparts and gateworks remain fully intact. History The town's history da ...

and

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

by the Portuguese in 1471. Each measures about 11 by 4 meters (36 by 12 feet), and are made of wool and silk. The tapestries depict four episodes regarding the

conquest of Asilah The Portuguese conquest of Asilah ( ar, أصيلة، أرزيلة; Portuguese: ''Arzila'') in modern Morocco from the Wattasids took place on 24 August 1471. History Continuing with his policy of expansion of the Portuguese territories in Morocc ...

and Tangier: * ''The Landing at Asilah'' * ''The Siege of Asilah'' * ''The Storming of Asilah'' * ''The Capture of Tangier'' They feature an impressive array of detailed depictions of

Gothic plate armour Gothic plate armour (german: Gotischer Plattenpanzer) was the type of steel plate armour made in the Holy Roman Empire during the 15th century. History While the term "Gothic" in art history covers the 12th to 15th centuries, Gothic plate arm ...

s and weapons such as swords, crossbows, polearms, cannons, and even handcannons, that would have been innovative in the period. Their manufacture has been attributed to the workshop of Pasquier Grenier in

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

, modern-day

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The tapestries are remarkable for being one of the few surviving 15th-century works of weaving depicting contemporary rather than biblical or mythological episodes. In this they showed the direction for the next three centuries, as sets of tapestries became the grandest form of

military art Military art is art with a military subject matter, regardless of its style or medium. The battle scene is one of the oldest types of art in developed civilizations, as rulers have always been keen to celebrate their victories and intimidate po ...

, for example in the set commissioned some 60 years later by

Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...

showing his Tunis campaign, and the English Armada Tapestries 50 years after that. The tapestries have been kept at the Colegiada de Pastrana Museum in Pastrana, Spain, since 1664, though it is unknown how exactly they came to Spain.

Gallery

References

{{Authority Control Tapestries 15th century in art