Army Museum celebrates its 5th anniversary showing unknown pieces which belonged to Dos de Mayo Uprising heroes

Captain Luis Daoíz’s dress coat (Photo: MUE)

The dress coat Captain Luis Daoíz was wearing when he was mortally wounded as he heroically defended Parque de Monteleón, on 2 May 1808, and the shroud of his brother in arms, Captain Pedro Velarde, are the two previously unknown pieces the Army Museum has shown to the public to commemorate its 5th anniversary.

The urns containing those garments were opened in 2013. DNA experts from the University of Granada carried out the appropriate tests using the most advanced techniques to confirm their authenticity. Additionally, an independent expert was commissioned to carry out a study of the uniform and Madrid’s Museo del Traje (Museum of Costume) investigated the shroud. Moreover, the Army Museum itself launched an investigation coordinated by Colonel José Fernández del Barrio into whether the chain of custody of the remains might have been broken at any time.

The restauration of the dress coat was sponsored by Banco Santander and involved its disinfection and taking samples for analysis. The garment was also rehydrated to recover its original shape and its deformities were corrected.

Museum director General Juan Valentín-Gamazo made two more announcements to commemorate the anniversary: The presentation of Francisco Martín Arrúe and Eugenio de Olavarría Yruarte’s facsimile of the book “Historia del Alcázar”, written by José Gómez de Arteche in 1889; and the presence of Bernardo Alonso Marugal’s model of Madrid’s Palacio Real on the fifth floor of the Alcázar de Toledo, where the Museum is located.

Furthermore, the Museum director announced the official presentation of four paintings from the Museo del Greco which will be exhibited at the Imperial Chapel. They were painted by an unknown artist and deal with Juan Mendoza’s campaigns against Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, from 1615 to 1617.

The Army Museum has had more than a 1.5 million visitors since 19 July 2010, when then Prince of Asturias Don Felipe de Borbón reopened it in its new location in Toledo.