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The Pastrana Tapestries of Alfonso V

(Conquista de Arcila y Tánger por Affonso V de Portugal)

Click on parts of an image for a larger detail. Portuguese Landing at Asilah.    larger image
Detail of left	Detail of centre bottom	Detail of centre top	Detail of right

Portuguese Siege of Asilah    larger image
	Detail of centre	Detail of bombard	Detail of right

Portuguese Assault on Asilah    larger image
Detail of left		Detail of right	Detail of bottom right

Portuguese Conquest of Tangier    larger image    zoomable image
Detail of commander	Detail of left	Detail of centre	Detail of right	Detail of far right

In the late 1400s a set of four tapestries was created to commemorate the exploits of Alfonso V (1432 – 1481), king of Portugal, in North Africa. Probably commissioned by the king himself, the tapestries were woven on a monumental scale by Flemish weavers in Tournai, Belgium. They have been the property of the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Pastrana, Spain, since the seventeenth century. The tapestries represent Alfonso’s campaigns in Morocco where his troops won major victories in 1471 at the coastal cities of Asilah and Tangier, strategically located near the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. Narrative scenes of heroic deeds were a popular subject for tapestries of the time, but most depict events taken from mythology or ancient and biblical history. The Pastrana Tapestries are highly unusual for their portrayal of contemporary events.
Source: National Gallery of Art, Washington