Tournai workshop, 16th century (c. 1510) Woven wool and silk Inv. 37 Woven in Tournai in the early 16th century, this tapestry is believed to be one of the oldest made in the Portuguese and Indian style series. Recent studies suggest that the procession shown may have been based on descriptions of East Africa that were circulating at the time. It is likely that the tapestry seeks to depict a specific region visited by the Portuguese during the reign of King Manuel I (1495-1521), which aroused great interest in Europe at the time. The composition is dominated by five giraffes and includes an elephant, part of a zebra, a leopard or cheetah, and, nearby, the head of an animal that appears to be a crocodile. A joyous crowd accompanies the giraffes and other animals on the procession: men, women and children, naked or dressed in colourful clothes and gold ornaments, among whom Africans, gypsies, Arabs and Mamluks can be made out. The flora and background of Asian-style buildings are equally diverse, accentuating the sense of exoticism in a way that goes beyond all known historical precedent.