“Between Looms and Documents: 300 Years of the Royal Tapestry Factory in the General Archive of the Indies” is the title of the exhibition organized by both institutions.

It is the first time that the RFT is exhibiting unpublished pieces from its historical archive, related to its presence in the Lonja of Seville. The exhibition also features for the first time documents from the General Archive of the Indies related to botany, with a special emphasis on cochineal and logwood.

Both were fundamental in the dye-making process in the history of the Royal Tapestry Factory until 1856, when Perkin discovered synthetic dye. Additionally, the exhibition will showcase for the first time the cardboard “Portrait of the Infanta Margarita,” based on the original painting by the Sevillian painter Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, and two tapestries: The first, “The Maja and the Masked Men,” also known as “The Walk of Andalusia,” based on a cardboard by Francisco de Goya, and “Ulysses Receives the Gifts of Alcinous,” a 17th-century Flemish tapestry, recently acquired by the Royal Tapestry Factory.

In addition to the tapestry and these unique documents, the exhibition will gather 70 pieces characteristic of the commemorative exhibition of the III Centenary of the RFT, which has already been held in other cities such as Zaragoza, Ceuta, Burgo de Osma, Santander, etc. Pieces include tapestries, carpets, hangings, graphic documentation from the RFT historical archive, tools for textile manufacturing and restoration, photographs, and explanatory posters.

The exhibition is supported by the Subdirectorate General of State Archives and the Army.

Dates: From June 5 to September 1.

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10 AM to 5 PM, Sundays and holidays: 10 AM to 2 PM.

Admission to the exhibition is free.