In March 2025 MFAH Presents “Knights in Shining Armor: The Pavia Tapestries”

Seven monumental 16th-century tapestries, plus selections of arms and armor, will immerse visitors in Renaissance politics, military technology, and fashion.

HOUSTON—December 18, 2024—The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will host Knights in Shining Armor: The Pavia Tapestries from March 2 through May 26, 2025. In the exhibition, seven lavish tapestries depict the battle of Pavia, commemorating Holy Roman Emperor Charles V’s decisive victory over French King Francis I, which was a pivotal point in the Italian Wars 500 years ago. The tapestries are monumental in scale—each measuring about 28 feet wide and 14 feet high—drawing viewers into the world of Renaissance history, military technology, and fashion. Narrative depictions of key moments from the battle are packed with near life-size figures and horses in full battle regalia, set within the scenography of the battlefield and countryside outside the besieged northern Italian city of Pavia. Visitors will be fully immersed within these seven, splendid scenes—just as visitors to the court of Charles V would have been when the tapestries were first unveiled in 1531. After a careful restoration, which has returned them to their original splendor, the entire cycle of seven tapestries is being presented in the United States for the first time. Alongside the tapestries, impressive examples of precious arms and armor from the period evoke the human experience of war in the Renaissance.

Commented Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, “This exhibition brings these magnificent Renaissance tapestries to the United States for the first time, the result of international collaboration among two Texas institutions—the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; and the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples, which houses eight centuries of Italian masterworks. We are grateful for this partnership and very pleased to present these tour-de-force works of art in Houston.”

“These seven lavish tapestries capture a momentous conflict that few beyond the scholarly fields of Renaissance history can recount, even though the Battle of Pavia arguably changed the course of modern history,” commented James Anno, associate curator of European art at the MFAH. “As spectacular works of art, and as a unique contemporary account of this moment in history, the Pavia Tapestries offer a singular opportunity to experience the masterful art of Renaissance weaving and this historic conflict and its royal combatants.” 

During the Renaissance, monarchs and religious leaders glorified their power and wealth through the art of tapestry, commissioning some of Europe’s greatest artists to commemorate significant events through the lavish medium. Elaborate tapestries, much more costly than paintings, could serve as tools for dynamic storytelling and political propaganda, depicting histories in fine wool, silk, and metal-wrapped thread at monumental scale. 

The seven Battle of Pavia tapestries are some of the most awe-inspiring examples of this often-overlooked yet highly prized Renaissance artform. They required remarkable feats of collaboration between artists and weavers—a single panel could take more than a year to produce. Designed by court artist Bernard van Orley, the tapestries were woven in Brussels by Willem and Jan Dermoyen in deeply saturated hues and exquisite detail, luxuriously highlighted with gold and silver thread. Each composition is filled with richly adorned military leaders, horsemen, and mercenary foot soldiers armed with swords, pikes, and firearms, all inhabiting a stunning panoramic landscape, from the walled park of the battleground to undulating hills in the distance. These tapestries were produced as works of art with timely subject matter: they were presented by the States General to Charles V in 1531, only six years after the battle, when he addressed the assembly of delegates representing the Low Countries at the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels. 

Each of the tapestries depicts an episode of the conflict, though some of the events happened simultaneously, given the short duration of the battle. One tapestry shows the imperial baggage train arriving on the field of battle and the early surrender of the Swiss pikemen serving the French army. Another shows the most important political and tactical event of the conflict—the capture surrender of Francis I. Two tapestries show mass confrontations of the opposing forces, demonstrating a significant advancement in military history during the battle—the first use of barrel-loaded firearms, which gave the imperial army a distinct advantage over the French troops. Another depicts the imperial army invading the French camp, forcing civilians in their retinue to flee. The remaining tapestries show the attack led by imperial loyalists from within the Mirabello hunting grounds near the besieged Visconti Castle, which succeeded in routing the Swiss Guard in the service of Francis I, and, finally, the flight of Francis I’s brother-in-law, the Duke of Alençon, and his troops in the face of the unstoppable Spanish army serving Charles V.

The emperor left the tapestries in the care of his sister, Mary of Hungary, governor of the Netherlands. From her they passed to Don Juan of Austria, the illegitimate son of the emperor, who in turn bequeathed them to the family of one of the military heroes of the Battle of Pavia, the Marquis d’Avalos. In 1862, the d’Avalos family donated their noble collections to Naples’s national museum. Since 1957, the tapestries have been displayed at the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples.

Enhancing the visitor’s understanding and enjoyment of the woven depictions of battle, the exhibition includes a selection of arms and armor from Capodimonte’s renowned Farnese Armory. Among the most elegant objects on view will be a splendid helmet and rotella shield adorned with episodes from Roman history; an elegant “Volat” armor garniture, or complete suit of armor, made by Pompeo della Cesa, the armorer to the Court of Milan; an exquisite arquebus, a long gun, made for Ranuccio Farnese, Duke of Parma, by Giovanni Battista Viscont; and a variety of exquisitely detailed swords and firearms. 

Organization and Funding
The exhibition is organized by the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and The Museum Box in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Major support is provided by:
Martha and Richard Finger

Additional generous support is provided by:
Vivian L. Smith Foundation

Catalogue
The exhibition is accompanied by a 208-page, full-color illustrated catalogue edited by Dr. Carmine Romano, curator and head of digitization and digital catalogue, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, with contributions by Romano; Dr. Sylvain Bellenger, general director, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte; Dr. 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.

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 
Spanning 14 acres in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, the main campus comprises the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, and the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building. Nearby, two house museums—Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, and Rienzi—present collections of American and European decorative arts. The MFAH is also home to the Glassell School of Art, with its Core Residency Program and Junior and Studio schools; and the International Center for the Arts of the Americas (ICAA), a leading research institute for 20th-century Latin American and Latino art as well as the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Jardinier at the MFAH. www.mfah.org

About the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples
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 from the wunderkammern 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 at 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
Melanie Fahey, Senior Publicist, MFAH 
mfahey@mfah.org  | 713.398.1136