BEIJING.- The State Corporation for Spanish Cultural Action Abroad (SEACEX) and Patrimonio Nacional have organised an exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing. This exhibition will bring a selection of masterpieces from Madrid�s Royal Armoury to Asia for the first time. This show, which is sponsored exclusively by the Fundaci�n Caja Madrid, is the last major exhibition to be staged as part of the extensive programme promoted by SEACEX to celebrate the Year of Spain in China.

Patrimonio Nacional has made an important contribution to the State Corporation for Spanish Cultural Action Abroad, SEACEX, in order to present ART AND CHIVALRY IN SPAIN. THE ROYAL ARMOURY OF MADRID in China. The exhibition is sponsored by Fundaci�n Caja Madrid and is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the Directorate General for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture of the People�s Republic of China, the Instituto Cervantes and the Spanish Embassy.

Curated by �lvaro Soler, curator of the Royal Armoury of the Royal Palace in Madrid, the exhibition has brought together a selection of 150 pieces from this collection, which is considered the most important of its kind in the world. Through these pieces, many of which are unique, the exhibition aims to show the people of China a more comprehensive view of this form of artistic expression which bore witness to the world of chivalry as a significant component of the Spanish and European mentality. The collection's luxury arms hail from various European countries. Crafted between the 15th and the 20th centuries, they also evidence the important role Spain played in continental history, and illustrate the evolution of European art during this period through these exceptional objects commissioned by or sent to the Spanish Royal Household.

As the repository of the collections of Charles V and Philip II, the Royal Armoury also houses an important collection of luxury arms linked to the court environment dating from the Middle Ages through to the 20th century. These pieces, which belonged to the kings of Spain and other members of the Royal Family from the 13th century onwards, reflect the mindset and artistic expressions of the period.