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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)