Helena Almeida: 'Seduzir' [To Seduce, 2002] (detail)

Collection

Alfombra [Rug]

Image caption
NATIONAL TAPESTRY WORKS

Alfombra [Rug]

  • 1932
  • Fabric with symmetrical or Turkish knots
  • 668 x 423 cm
  • Cat. A_264
  • Observations: Warp: cotton. Weft: cotton. Knot: wool. Weaving density: 13/14 knots/dm
By:
Antonio Sama

Rug Nº 264 in the inventory is another example of the success achieved in the 1930s and 1940s by the designs of Faustino Álvarez Quintana in what can be thought of as a 'modernised Louis XV style' (see rug Nº 202).

The difference between this rug and others in the Banco de España Collection created along similar lines by the artist at the Fábrica Nacional de Tapices (subsequently renamed Real Fábrica de Tapices) is that its background field is essentially plain and all the decoration is focused on the border. In this case the field is not entirely empty of decoration: it has no medallion or any of the motifs associated with one, but the decorations typically found around medallions are present (rinceaux, bowls, scallops and fans). Together with the main border, these give the rug the look of an edged red cartouche. The designs are stylised flourishes and rocaille motifs in the Rococo style.

Cartoon Nº 367 ALF in the Historical Archives of the Real Fábrica de Tapices (AHRFT) doubtlessly served as the basis for the pattern of this rug. It shows a pattern for rugs with no medallion, but with oak branch motifs on the field. In this rug for the Banco de España the artist decided to do away with these plant motifs and leave only the edging decoration. The pattern of the edging is practically identical to that of cartoon Nº 870 ALF and those of the others from the same series held at the AHRFT.

The date '1932' is woven into the rug, so it was made only about one year after Faustino Álvarez began to produce designs of this type for Turkish-knot rugs at what was then known as the Fábrica Nacional de Tapices.

Antonio Sama

 
By:
Antonio Sama
National Tapestry Works
PERIODO ACTIVO 1931 - 1939

During the Spanish Second Republic, the historic Real Fábrica de Tapices ['Royal Tapestry Factory'] operated under the name of Fábrica Nacional de Tapices ['National Tapestry Works']. There is no record of any edict by the republican administration officially changing the name, but from 1931 onwards the rugs produced at the works on Calle Fuenterrabía were marked 'Fábrica Nacional de Tapices'. This means that the name was changed before the works was brought under the control of the republican government’s Consejo de Administración del Patrimonio ['National Heritage Governing Board'] in the wake of the uprising on 18 July 1936 that sparked the Spanish Civil War. A decree published in the Gazeta de Madrid newspaper on 24 September 1936 dismissed the then director Liviio Stuyck Millenet, and another decree dated the 27th confiscated the works and appointed Manuel Navarro Boto as chief administrator.

On 1 March 1939, in the final days of the war, Manuel Navarro was dismissed and on 29th March ownership of the works was handed over to the brothers Gabino and Miguel Stuyck San Martín.

In the eight years between April 1931 and March 1939 the works suffered many setbacks which seriously reduced operations and threatened the very survival of the plant. At that time the Atocha-based looms were being used mainly to produce rugs, as demand for tapestries had plummeted. The production of knotted rugs had begun to emerge as a major output of the works under the direction of the Stuyck family in the 19th century, and became an increasingly common reference point in publications. For example, a monograph by Miguel Utrillo published in 1932 bears the title La Manufactura Nacional de Alfombras y Tapices de Madrid ['The National Rug and Tapestry Works in Madrid'].

By 1933 all areas of the works were in crisis. The republican government decided to provide funding and entrust the works with restoring and reproducing the famous Gothic tapestries of the Collegiate Church of Pastrana in Guadalajara. This commission enabled it to survive the tough years of the Civil War.

Antonio Sama