Monumental in scale and meticulous in construction, the
Pastrana Tapestries are one of the finest examples of Gothic tapestry in existence. The four, 36-foot-long tapestries are on view together for the first time as part of a rare U.S. tour that follows an extensive restoration project. Commissioned by
Portugal's King Afonso V (1432-1481) and expertly woven in Belgium's Tournai workshops in the late 1400s, the Pastrana Tapestries are singular for their depiction of a contemporary subject: Afonso's military campaigns in North Africa. Through vibrantly colored wool and silk threads, a vivid scene of military pomp and conquest emerges - knights in full regalia raise their swords to the sky, royal trumpeters sound their advance, ships' masts punctuate the horizon and scenes of battle teem with valor and might. The Peabody Essex Museum is the exclusive Northeast venue for
The Invention of Glory.