The Surrender of Granada
This small diorama is inspired by an 1882 oil painting by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz, who served as director of the Prado Museum from 1896 to 1898 and was one of the leading figures of Spanish historical-romantic painting.
It depicts the famous surrender of Granada—the surrender of Boabdil, the last Nasrid sultan of Granada, to the Catholic Monarchs, who began the siege of the city in 1488. After many long months, Boabdil and his subjects, who had tried to resist as long as possible, began to suffer the consequences of hunger and deprivation as a result of the aggressive Christian siege. Finally, the last sultan of Granada had no choice but to hand over his kingdom and surrender to the Christian monarchs.
The figures are the work of the Valencian manufacturer Ángel Comes, who, through his brand Alymer, became one of the largest manufacturers of toy soldiers in history. In 1947, Alymer created what came to be known as “Miniploms”—20-mm lead figures made entirely by hand. They were a huge success and were even exported to France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
