Tefaf has awarded its Museum Restoration Fund prize to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) for the restoration of a 500-year-old Medici tapestry, "The Meeting of Dante and Virgil" (circa 1547-49). The €25,000 grant will support cleaning, consolidation, and lining of the 5.3-meter-high work, which has not been displayed in over 60 years due to severe damage including silk weft loss and open slits. The conservation will be carried out by the Midwest Art Conservation Center, and the tapestry is expected to go on public view at MIA this summer.
The award marks the first time the Tefaf fund has supported a tapestry restoration since its launch in 2012, and it extends the fund's partnership with the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. The tapestry is the only example of early Medicean tapestry in a public collection outside Italy and is considered the most important Italian Renaissance tapestry in the US. Its restoration not only preserves a rare work of art but also highlights the ongoing need for specialized conservation of historic textiles, reinforcing Tefaf's commitment to supporting museums worldwide.