The Diplomat
The Fundación Real Fábrica de Tapices has completed the conservation-restoration of four tapestries that decorate the rooms of the Palace of the Marquises of Cayo del Rey, headquarters of the Brazilian Embassy since 1941. The tapestries are copies made in the French Gobelin factory and, in particular, reissues from cartoons made in the time of Louis XIV by Giulio Romano and Noël Coypel.
Since it is known that the entire aristocratic residence was reformed and redecorated in the French style between 1910 and 1912, the production of the tapestries can be dated to around that time. This is reinforced by the fact that all the panels that currently decorate the spaces of the Embassy seem to be perfectly adapted to the architectural framework.
The four tapestries are: Pallas Athena (allegorical representation of March) and Mars (allegorical representation of October), both belonging to the series “The Arabian months”, the tapestry The Spring, belonging to the series “Gardeners’ Children” and the tapestry Dance of Nymphs, from the series “Fable Matters”.
The restoration process consisted of reinforcing the edges, damaged by the mounting system, by means of consolidation with structural lining in linen fabric compatible with the fabric. A protective lining of 100% ecological quality cotton was also applied, with no sizing or finishing that could cause future deterioration of the tapestry.
The cloths have been returned to the walls of the Embassy, finishing the work with the assembly of the cloths, after the preparation of the walls, the construction of new frames and the cleaning of the golden mouldings that surround the cloths.
