Discovering the Alhambra of The Tendilla

The Alhambra is paying tribute to its first Governor, Íñigo López de Mendoza (1440-1515), Count Tendilla and Marquess of Mondéjar, with the exhibition ‘The Tendillas, Lords of the Alhambra’, on display in the Chapel and Crypt of the Palace of Charles V. The exhibition offers visitors a chance to travel through time via the legacy of one of the most influential families of the era, who were responsible for the conservation of the monument as a Royal House from the 15^th to the 18^th century.
The exhibition is curated by the Head of the Department of History of Art of the University of Granada, Professor Rafael López Guzmán, and is made up of almost 200 pieces including interesting administrative documentation, exceptional paintings such as the 16^th Century Portrait of Diego Hurtado de Mendoza by Titian, on loan from the Gallery of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, which is being shown in Spain for the first time. The exhibition also includes architectural plans of the Palace of Charles V from the 16th century, a collection of mediaeval and Renaissance weapons and household and other objects from the 17th century. The institutions who have lent pieces for this exhibition include the Prado National Museum, the gallery of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Spanish National Heritage, the Museum of America, the Simancas Archive, the National Historical Archives, the National Library, the Carlos Ballesta Foundation, the General Archives of the Administration, Seville Cathedral, the Archdiocese of Granada, the Granada Fine Arts Museum, Guadalajara City Council, the Complutense University, the University of Granada and the University of Salamanca.

The exhibition is organized by the Council of the Alhambra and Generalife in collaboration with Spanish National Heritage, the National Library, the University of Granada and the Ballesta Foundation. It is divided into four sections: “The Mendoza family – men of arms, the cloth and letters”, “El Gran Tendilla: don Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones”, “The Mendoza of the Renaissance” and “The Long Decline”.

AN ACCESSIBLE EXHIBITION
            A novel aspect of the exhibition The Tendillas: Lords of the Alhambra is that it will be more accessible to disabled people thanks to a joint agreement between the Council of the Alhambra and Generalife, the ONCE Foundation, Kaleidoscope Access and the support of La Ciudad Accesible. Specifically during the months of April and May a series of free guided visits has been prepared for people with visual, hearing and intellectual and cognitive disabilities. Those interested in taking part should send an e-mail to info@kaleidoscope-access.org.