The Royal Tapestry Factory (

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: ''Real Fábrica de Tapices de Santa Bárbara'') is a manufacturing plant located in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

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, which was founded in 1720.

History

The factory was founded by

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...

after Spain lost its Belgian territories, and their tapestry workshops, as a result of the

Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...

. A master weaver was recruited from Antwerp. The project was followed by a number of other

mercantilist Mercantilism is an economic policy that is designed to maximize the exports and minimize the imports for an economy. It promotes imperialism, colonialism, tariffs and subsidies on traded goods to achieve that goal. The policy aims to reduce ...

initiatives undertaken in the eighteenth century in the Madrid area to supply luxury goods. Another example was the

Real Fábrica del Buen Retiro Real Fábrica del Buen Retiro (popularly called ''La China''; "Buen Retiro Porcelain Factory"; alternatively, Real Fábrica de Porcelana del Buen Retiro) was a porcelain manufacturing factory in Spain. It was located in Madrid's Parque del Buen Ret ...

porcelain factory. Like its French counterpart the Gobelins Manufactory, the Royal Tapestry Factory supplied the court with tapestries. While still in his 20s the painter

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

was commissioned to provide designs (known as cartoons) for tapestries to furnish

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial ( es, Monasterio y Sitio de El Escorial en Madrid), or Monasterio del Escorial (), is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, u ...

and

El Pardo El Pardo is a ward (''barrio'') of Madrid belonging to the district of Fuencarral-El Pardo. As of 2008 its population was of 3,656. History The ward was first mentioned in 1405 and in 1950 was an autonomous municipality of the Community of Madri ...

, two of the palaces in the Madrid region. Many of the Goya tapestry cartoons are displayed at the Museo del Prado. El Quitasol (Goya)

Current activities

In the 1990s the factory was running at a loss and received a bail-out from public funds. It became a foundation under the auspices of the

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with the aim of providing a secure basis for the future. Although further issues related to profitability have been reported, the factory still produces traditional tapestries and carpets. As well as producing new pieces, it is involved in the conservation of historic textiles. After

Manuela Carmena Manuela Carmena Castrillo (; born in 1944) is a retired Spanish lawyer and judge who served as Mayor of Madrid from June 2015 to June 2019. She was a member of the General Council of the Judiciary. Biography Early life She was born on 9 Feb ...

became mayor of Madrid in 2015 issues came to light regarding the continued rent-free residence of the former owner and factory director, Livinio Stuyck, in a 700m² duplex apartment atop the factory. There were allegations of squatting, and an attempt to impose fines.

Building

The factory was originally located at the Puerta de Santa Bárbara, a gate on the northern side of Madrid. The factory has occupied its present site, not far from

Atocha station Madrid Atocha ( es, Estación de Madrid Atocha), also named Madrid Puerta de Atocha–Almudena Grandes, is the first major railway station in Madrid. It is the largest station serving commuter trains (Cercanías Madrid, ''Cercanías''), regional ...

, since the nineteenth century. The nineteenth century building is itself is of historical interest. It was given a heritage listing ''

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" (" goods" in the economic sense) and incl ...

'' in 2006. Real Decreto 80/2006

References

External links

Buildings and structures in Pacífico neighborhood, Madrid Foundations based in Spain Manufacturing plants in Spain Tapestry-making operations Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Madrid 1720 establishments in Spain Organisations based in Spain with royal patronage {{Spain-struct-stub

History

Current activities

Building

See also

References

External links