Restoration and conservation of tapestries

The restoration of a tapestry consists in reweaving used or missing areas of the weave, favouring appearance and aesthetics.

Conservation, an approach that conforms to the current criteria and ethics of the museum profession, is undertaken following three fundamental principles :

• Readability : in order to distinguish the conservation from the original weave, the couching stitches are spaced at regular intervals. The colours of the threads used are identical to those of the area to be worked and enable the design and form to be reintegrated. 
  
  
• Reversibility : a lightweight fabric is placed on the reverse of the tapestry. The conservation stitching is therefore visible on the fabric and could be removed if at a later date another treatment was required or desired ;
  
  
• Stability : the conservation should be resistant to the effects of ageing. The materials used, generally identical to the original threads (silk, linen, cotton), are tested and approved for their tensile strength and the resistance of their dyes to light exposure.
  
  

view an example of restoration before/after

view an example of conservation treatment before/after

watch a video of a conservation treatment