Royal Tapestry Factory

Founded in 1721, this institution, housed in a Neo-Mudéjar building near the Paseo del Arte (Art Walk), is dedicated to the artisanal production of tapestries, carpets, and wall hangings. The tapestries and carpets of the Royal Tapestry Factory can be seen in all the palaces belonging to the National Heritage: the Royal Palace, the Palace of El Pardo, the Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, the Palace of Aranjuez, the Palace of Riofrío, the Royal Alcázar, and the Palace of Pedralbes, as well as in numerous national and international institutions. The Royal Tapestry Factory displays an important collection of carpets and tapestries, comprised of its own production and works on loan. The pieces in the collection come from important cultural institutions such as the National Archaeological Museum and the National Museum of Decorative Arts. Among them, the tapestry series "The Acts of the Apostles," woven in Flanders in the 16th century, stands out. The Royal Tapestry Factory also displays some of the textiles produced in the factory itself, designed by the most important painters in the Factory's history (Goya, Teniers, Juan Gris, Pérez Villalta, etc.). As a complement to the collection of tapestries and carpets, the main tools of artisanal work are on display, such as historic looms, spinning wheels, reels, and various cartoons from its graphic archive. The Royal Tapestry Factory also has a historic garden that retains most of its original features. After being remodeled, the garden houses a collection of samples of dye plants and plant species used in obtaining textile fibers such as cotton and linen. The plants come from different parts of the world and were used by different cultures to obtain dyes and plant-based fibers. The new ethnobotanical garden is fully integrated into the original garden design, without making fundamental or irreversible changes to the arrangement of its elements.