43
Historical Tapestries
and Textiles from
the Collection of
the Museum of
Decorative Arts in
Prague – Conservation
and Presentation
The extent of the project is unique. Up to now, no other institution had carried out
a similarly extensive restoration of historical tapestries in such a short time. During
twenty months, restored and subsequently put on display were nine tapestries
made between the 17
th
and the 18
th
century in leading European manufactures in
Belgian Brussels and Audenarde, French Lille and Aubusson and a helix of twelve
liturgical textiles of modern times coming from Bohemia, Spain and Italy. Work
was done in restoration workshops in the whole republic and regularly consulted
with both foreign and domestic experts.
The key outcome of the project was the exhibition titled
The Art of Restoration.
Tapestries and Liturgical Textiles from Collections of the Museum of Decorative
Arts in Prague which was held in Valašské Meziříčí and repeated in Jindřichův
Hradec.
At the same time, a workshop was held, participated in by a representative
from the partner institution, University Museum of Bergen, and an international
conference Restoration/Conservation of Historical Textiles was organised,
attended by museum and school staff and private textile restorers from the
Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. The foreign participants appreciated
the professionalism of the Czech restorers and also saw an important asset in
the fact that there are two workshops in the Czech Republic that pursue
restoration and primarily the production of tapestries, which is unique in
the context of Central Europe.
Project promoter
Museum of Decorative Arts
in Prague (CZ)
Partner
University Museum of
Bergen (NO)