The Naval Museum inaugurates an exposition dedicated to the maritime origin of the Spanish flag

The new temporary exposition of the Naval Musuem, dedicated to history and the meaning of the national flag, gathers 57 original pieces and highlights the historical bond between the Army and the colors that identify Spain today.

The Defense minister, Margarita Robles, accompanied by the Admiral Boss of Major State of the Army (AJEMA), general admiral Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez, inaugurates today, December 3rd, in the Naval Museum the temporary exposiiton “La bandera que vino de la mar. Los colores que nos identifican”, dedicated to the 240 years of teaching that was born at sea and ended up turning into the symbol of all the Spaniards.

Both will viist the sample with the director of the History and Naval Culture Institute (IHCN), vice admiral Enrique Torres Piñeyro, the director of the Naval Museum, captain of the ship Juan Escrigas Rodríguez and the commissioner of the exposition, José Luis Álvarez Ruiz de la Hermosa, in charge of presenting the expositive journey and the relevance of the original 57 pieces.

The temporary exposition honors the decision of Carlos III, in May of 1785, of equipping vessels of the Royal Army of a flag that's clearly visible and distinguishible from a great distance. Those colors —red and yellow— went from identifying the war ships to turning progressively into a national identity symbol.

From next Friday, December 5th, to April 5th, the sample will be open to the public, con piezas nunca antes exhibidas debido a su tamaño o fragilidad, y otras restauradas expresamente para esta ocasión. Amongst them there are historical flags, banners, documents, paintings and materials that show how the flag, born in the ports of Cádiz and La Coruña, turned into the last symbol that sae those set sail overseas and the first that they recognized who returned from the USA or the Philipines.

The exhibition invites visitors to understand not only the history of the Navy’s flag, but also the collective meaning of its colours, exploring the origin and symbolism of the red and yellow tones. Red, associated since the Middle Ages with banners, military crosses and Spain’s own heraldic tradition, and yellow, present in naval uniforms and decorations between the 16th and 18th centuries, became established as the defining colours of Spanish maritime identity.

The director of the IHCN, Vice Admiral Enrique Torres Piñeyro, highlights the importance of sharing the origins of such a distinctive symbol as our flag, “which not only identifies us as a people, but also unites and commits us.” For his part, the director of the Naval Museum, Captain Juan Escrigas Rodríguez, underscores the value of the pieces on display, including large or particularly fragile flags: “Some of them had never been shown until now. Its conservation and study help us explain how these colors turned into a national anthem”.

The sample also approaches the expansion of the use of the pavillion during the 19th century from the National Military to the Army, until its formalization as flag of State in 1843. A process that, just as its been reminded by the IHCN, was linked to the civilian
tracking during the Independence War.

The Naval Musuem has designed a program of activities associated to the exhibition, directed to people of all ages, such as guided visits, workshops and storytellers, with the goal of bringing history of the flag to all society. More information in the following link.