Full Cycle of Seven Monumental Renaissance Tapestries, Each Around the Size of a Muni Bus, Is on Tour for the First Time in the United States

de Young / October 19, 2024–January 12, 2025

SAN FRANCISCO, July 9 — The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the “Fine Arts Museums”) will host, and serve as the sole West Coast venue for, the spectacular international loan exhibition Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries. The exhibition will feature monumental tapestries and superb examples of arms and armor on loan from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, Italy. The dazzling centerpiece of Art and War in the Renaissance will be the newly conserved, complete seven-part cycle of the Battle of Pavia tapestries. These colossal woven artworks will immerse visitors in the world of Renaissance politics, history, and art. At the de Young museum, they will be on view with their original preparatory drawings lent by the Louvre Museum plus a selection of 16th and 17th-century arms and armor from the Farnese Armory at the Capodimonte Museum. Combined, these artworks will give visitors insight into the artistry and skilled craftsmanship required to transform Renaissance tapestries from initial designs into glittering propagandistic luxuries.

The Battle of Pavia tapestries celebrate the decisive victory of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the imperial army over the French army led by King Francis I. This pivotal battle ended the Italian war, which had begun in 1521, and stopped the French from encroaching into Italian territories. This decisive moment in European history took place almost exactly 500 years ago on February 24, 1525, around the town of Pavia, outside of Milan.

"Monumental in scale, tapestries were the grandest form of art and propaganda in the Renaissance and kings and popes spent vast sums to commission them. Yet few of these great sets have survived and even fewer are on display. So, the fact that the Battle of Pavia tapestries have survived complete and in good condition, is little short of extraordinary,” said Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums, and one of the world’s leading authorities on European tapestries. “The tapestries depict a pivotal battle that took place in February 1525, at which the army of the Emperor Charles V roundly defeated the French army and captured the French king, Francis I, thereby changing the course of Italian history. The deciding factor in the battle were the handguns of the imperial troops, against which the armor of the French knights was no protection. Quite apart from the historical significance of the event, the tapestries are remarkable for the scale, realism and detail with which they depicted the events of this epochal battle. The tapestries have been newly cleaned and restored and the chance to see them in San Francisco, five hundred years after the events depicted, is not to be missed."

During the Renaissance, tapestries were the art form of kings, prized by rulers as lavish displays of wealth and power, woven on a grand scale by vast workshops, using precious materials, and costing exponentially more than paintings. The grand Battle of Pavia tapestries were made with silver- and gold-wrapped thread, as well as expensive wools and silks from across the globe.

The manufacture of tapestries was a huge collaborative endeavor and necessitated years of work to produce one set. A single panel of the Battle of Pavia tapestries set would have taken roughly 18 months to produce.

"The scale of these tapestries is staggering, as is the sheer profusion of detail. You can find something new and exciting every time you look,” said Jeffrey Fraiman, Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, and organizing curator of the exhibition. “But it is also the freshness—the immediacy—of them that hits you. These are half a millennium old, and their survival, in this condition, feels miraculous. I think our audiences will be awestruck."

The tapestries were woven after designs by Bernard van Orley (ca. 1488–1541), an artist renowned for his portraits and religious paintings, as well as his stained glass and tapestry designs. Van Orley was a quintessentially cosmopolitan artist, who combined Northern and Southern European influences and revolutionized tapestry design in Flanders.

Van Orley was a leading figure in Renaissance Brussels and a court artist to Margaret of Austria. He embraced the latest artistic advances out of Rome and was particularly known for making a careful study of Raphael’s designs for tapestries to decorate the Sistine Chapel. Van Orley learned his trade from the German master Albrecht Dürer, whose meticulous attention to detail—and specific figure types—find an echo in Van Orley’s battle work.

Artists such as Van Orley would develop the designs for the scenes through sketches and more finished compositional drawings before making finished models (modelli) to present to patrons; these were translated into full-scale paintings known as cartoons, which were then used by the weavers, who had to translate the cartoons into woven scenes using colored threads. This process of artist production will be evident in the exhibition through the display of the presentation drawings lent by the Louvre, the inclusion of which will be exclusive to the San Francisco stop of the exhibition tour.

More About the Battle of Pavia Tapestries

Tapestries were an essential—and highly portable—part of the trappings of courtly life. They helped insulate chilly castles and cover large empty walls, were sent as diplomatic gifts, and acted as backdrops during official ceremonies The Battle of Pavia tapestries set was presented to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the most powerful man in Europe during the first half of the 16th century, to commemorate his victory, and were presented by the States General to him at the Royal Palace in Brussels. But he did not keep them in his possession for long.

Since the late 16th century, the tapestries were in the collection of the Neapolitan d’Avalos family, given to them by Don Juan of Austria (d. 1578). Along with numerous works by artists including Titian, Luca Giordano, and Jusepe de Ribera, the tapestries were donated to the Italian state in 1862 by the last descendant of the d’Avalos family (a fitting full-circle moment, as Fernando d’Avalos, the Marquess of Pescara, had commanded the Habsburg army during the battle centuries before).

Kept since 1957 in the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, Italy, the tapestries are considered of great value not only for their artistry but also as detailed depiction of a significant event in European history.

Exhibition Organization and Tour

The exhibition is organized by the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and The Museum Box in collaboration with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Kimbell Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Additional support is provided by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. 

The exhibition will be on view at the de Young from October 19, 2024, through January 12, 2025.

Additional Media

Watch: History of the Battle of Pavia

Watch: Design and Restoration of the Battle of Pavia Tapestries

Watch: The Armor, the Fashion, the People of the Battle of Pavia Tapestries

Biographies

Thomas P. Campbell is one of the world’s foremost authorities on tapestries in the world. As curator of tapestries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York he organized several landmark exhibitions, including Tapestry in the Renaissance (2002) and Tapestry in the Baroque (2007). He joined the Fine Arts Museums as director and CEO in 2018 after having served as the director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 2009 to 2017.

Jeffrey Fraiman joined the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in 2023 and is a specialist in Italian Renaissance and Baroque art. From 2015 to 2022, he worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he was co-editor of the collection catalogue Italian Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2022) and contributed to the exhibitions Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio (2016–2017), Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer (2017–2018), and Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts (2021–2022). He holds a PhD from Rutgers University.

Related Programs

Opening Day Lecture by Thomas P. Campbell
Thursday, October 17, 2024 \ Koret Auditorium, 3 pm

A special opportunity to hear from Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums and renowned world scholar on the art of tapestry. Join us for in-depth exploration of the works on view, which will be followed by a guided tour of the galleries. 

A Symposium on the Battle of Pavia Tapestries
Saturday, January 11, 2025 \ Koret Auditorium 

The symposium will convene leading art historians and scholars from around the world, along with Director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell, and Jeffrey Fraiman, organizing curator, on the closing weekend of the exhibition, to share current research on these remarkable textiles.

Exhibition Catalogue

The exhibition is accompanied by Art & War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries, a 208-page, full-color illustrated catalogue edited by Carmine Romano, curator and head of digitization and digital catalogue, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, with contributions by Romano; Sylvain Bellenger, director emeritus, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte; Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Emma C. De Jong, postdoctoral curatorial fellow, The American Friends of Capodimonte; Graziella Palei, tapestry conservator; Dr. Cecilia Paredes, Université Libre de Bruxelles; Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister of Culture, Italy; Cristina Del Sesto, president, the American Friends of Capodimonte; Antonio Tosini, conservator of the Farnese and Bourbon Armories, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte; and H. E. Mariangela Zappia, Ambassador of Italy to the United States.

Ticketing and Visiting Information

This exhibition is included in general admission. It is free for Bay Area visitors on Saturdays as part of the Fine Arts Museums’ Free Saturdays program at both the de Young and Legion of Honor generously underwritten by Diane B. Wilsey. Learn more about Free Saturdays here. The de Young is located in Golden Gate Park at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 9:30 am–5:15 pm. Closed most Mondays; open select holidays. More information regarding visiting and tickets can be found at famsf.org/visit-us. 

About the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in San Francisco.

The de Young museum originated from the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition in Golden Gate Park. The present copper-clad landmark building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, opened in 2005. Reflecting an active conversation among cultures, perspectives, and time periods, the collections on view include American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from the 17th to the 21st centuries; arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; costume and textile arts; and international modern and contemporary art. 

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are located on land unceded by the Ramaytush Ohlone, who are the original inhabitants of what is now the San Francisco Peninsula. The greater Bay Area is also the ancestral territory of other Ohlone peoples, as well as the Miwok, Yokuts, and Patwin. We acknowledge, recognize, and honor the Indigenous ancestors, elders, and descendants whose nations and communities have lived in the Bay Area over many generations and continue to do so today. We respect the enduring relationships that exist between Indigenous peoples and their homelands. We are committed to partnering with Indigenous communities to raise awareness of their legacy and engage with the history of the region, the impacts of genocide, and the dynamics of settler colonialism that persist today.

About the Capodimonte Museum

The Capodimonte collection is among the most important in the world and includes more than 49,000 works of art representing the Italian schools of art from the 13th century to today. In 126 rooms on three main levels, in addition to the ground floor and the mezzanines, there are masterpieces by artists from every Italian school: Tuscan, Venetian, Emilian, Neapolitan, and Roman, as well as important foreign presences such as the Flemish. The collection includes 6,000 porcelain pieces representing all European schools; sculpture, from Renaissance busts to modern works; the Cabinet of Drawings and Prints; the precious objects of the Borgia and De Ciccio Collections; and those of the wunderkammer of the Farnese and Bourbons. Thanks to the vision of Raffaello Causa, in 1978 Capodimonte opened its doors to contemporary art, recognizing that artistic creativity does not end abruptly, and that human genius is expressed as an uninterrupted thread through history. With the donation of her collection in December 2021, Lia Rumma elevated "the largest art gallery in Southern Italy" to the largest museum in Italy dedicated to Italian art from the 1960s to today. The Park and Real Bosco is among the largest urban parks in Italy and welcomes approximately 2.5 million visitors per year. It consists of 36 km of avenues and walkways, 6 km of surrounding wall, and 22 buildings which house companies, schools, residences, museums, and more.

About The Museum Box

The Museum Box is an international strategy and traveling exhibitions partner for museums. They are known for their thoughtful and personal approach to museum business that draws on decades of experience working with institutions of all scales. Their team of museum professionals offer a selection of turnkey and customized services. They position their clients to access their vast global network of 500+ museums, to expand their domestic and global footprints, and to raise vital funds in support of their missions.

Media Contact

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