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Behind the scenes of The Department of Textile Conservation at The Met

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Dating to around 1400, The Met Cloisters’ Heroes are among the oldest surviving medieval tapestries in the world!

Woven entirely of wool, these hangings reimagine famous men from the distant past as ideal rulers, surrounded by lords, ladies, musicians and soldiers in a fairytale castle.

After nearly 75 years on continuous display at The Cloisters, the 600-year old “Julius Caesar” tapestry was deinstalled and transferred to the Department of Textile Conservation (@mettextileconservation). Upon thorough examination, it was determined that the tapestry required aqueous cleaning. This was followed by stabilizing and consolidating the weakened weave structure to ensure the tapestry’s long-term preservation.

Recently, the tapestry was reinstalled at the @metcloisters after a three-year long treatment by our dedicated textile conservators. It can now be appreciated, once again, by visitors.

🔗 Head to the link in bio to watch the full conservation story.
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🧵 Artist unknown. “Julius Caesar” (from the Heroes Tapestries), ca. 1400–1410. South Netherlandish. Wool warp, wool wefts. Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 47.101.3. On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 18. by @mettextileconservation

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15 days ago

“Musical Bodies” - This special exhibition brings together a variety of media portraying the relationship between musical instruments and the body.

Textile Conservation contributed to the conservation and installation of a modern era Japanese costume, “Woman’s Under-Kimono [Nagajuban] with Piano Keys and Libretti from Two Songbooks;” and an early 16th century medieval tapestry, “Shepherd and Shepherdess Making Music.” Although displayed separately, the two were paired with different media to illustrate the theme of their pairings.

The interesting pairing of the Japanese nagajuban with Liberace’s “Piano Keys” suit is described, “We wear our passion for music on our sleeves, whether personal or private or professional and public.” The nagajuban, one of the layers worn under the outermost kimono, is screen printed in a hue of bright orange with a diagonal repeat pattern of sheet music, keyboards and photographs of the opera star Sekia Toshiko.

The beautiful medieval tapestry—depicting a shepherd (playing bagpipes) and shepherdess woven amongst birds and sheep, surrounded by millefleur—is described in the exhibition as “idealized eroticism of the countryside.” Paired with the 19th century painting by Bartholomeus van der Heist, “The Musician,” (MMA 73.2), it is also described as an erotic scene of a young woman playing a lute (an instrument associated with Venus).

For translations of the song lyrics, see The Met website.
The exhibition ends September 27th.
On view in Gallery 199

“Woman’s Under-Kimono (Nagajuban) with Piano Keys and Libretti from Two Songbooks”
Japan, ca. 1930s, Shōwa period (1926–89)
Silk with printed design
Purchase, Mary and James G. Wallach Foundation Gift. Acc. no. 2018.561

"Piano Keys" suit,1973
Designer, Jim Lapidus
JC Costume Company (American)
Velvet, sequins, bugle beads, glass, crystal, rhinestones
On loan from Liberace Foundation, sponsored by Chloe Flower and Susan Houston

“Shepherd and Shepherdess Making Music”
South Netherlandish
ca. 1500–1530
Wool warp; wool and silk wefts
Bequest of Susan Vanderpoel Clark. Acc. No. 67.155.8

#musicalbodies by @mettextileconservation

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21 days ago

Roll out the carpet, literally!

In 1668, Louis XIV commissioned the Savonnerie manufactory to create a series of 92 monumental carpets for the Louvre’s Grande Galerie, one of the most ambitious textile projects of all time.

Now, for the first time in The Met’s history, three Savonnerie carpets from this extraordinary commission are on view together.

Hear @met_esda curator Wolf Burchard share how the “Music” carpet was installed in the galleries.

“A King’s Carpet: Louis XIV and the Savonnerie” is now on view in Galleries 524–528. by @mettextileconservation

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a month ago

We are preparing the 17th century French carpet, “Grande Galerie carpet no. 11 (Music, reweave)” from Savonnerie Manufactory for the upcoming, “A King’s Carpet: Louis XIV and the Savonnerie,” opening September 8th. Due to the carpet’s large size (almost 30 feet long by 16 feet wide), a temporary set up in the public courtyard is required for us to attach a header and Velcro hanging system. We have a tight turn-around so please stop by today for this rare opportunity to see textile conservation in action or visit the exhibition to see this incredible carpet on display!

Exhibition on view from September 8, 2026–March 5, 2028, Galleries 524-528 @met_esda

“Grande Galerie carpet no. 11 (Music, reweave),” Savonnerie Manufactory, After designs by Charles Le Brun, Delivered between 1668 and 1677, Paris, 358 x 181 in. Gift of Rogers, 1952. acc#52.118 by @mettextileconservation

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a month ago

Take a look at how we prepared and installed this work in the American Wing Gallery 744!

Artist Carla Hemlock (Kahnawake, Mohawk Nation) skillfully combined a variety of techniques like machine and hand applique, printed cotton, hand embroidery, and more to create “The Homelands, Haudenosaunee Women’s Wearing Blanket.”

At the center of the artwork is an appliqued map with the names of communities and villages destroyed during George Washington’s 1779 military campaign, known as the “Sullivan Expedition.” The embroidered train shows a quote from Washington, stating the intentionally destructive military strategies against the Haudenosaunee.

To prepare the artwork for display, Textile Conservation created a custom three-dimensional mount that balanced the need to clearly present the text and iconography while also alluding to a woman’s body underneath. Using a prefabricated Ethafoam female form, we adjusted the shape by adding batting through needle felting, supported the train with Mylar, secured the artwork using magnets, and used hand-stitched Velcro to secure the neck to a custom brass neck mount made by Met Preparators.

Carla Hemlock (Kahnawake, Mohawk Nation), “The Homelands, Haudenosaunee Women’s Blanket,” 2024. Wool, Shell, Glass Beads, Cork Cloth, Treaty Cloth (Wool), Silver Sequins. 2024.574

Images 1,2,5&6 by @metimaging by @mettextileconservation

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2 months ago

Thank you to all who visited @mettextileconservation and @metscience at our Teens Take the Met textile science table!
We are already planning an exciting program for #TeensTakeTheMet 2027 and hope to see you again!
#metteens by @mettextileconservation

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5 months ago

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservation Fellow, Anya Andreeva, presents, “A Study in Metal Thread: Art, Science, and Conservation” as part of Research Out Loud: Met Fellows Present!

Join us at:
Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall
Uris Center for Education
Friday, May 22, 2026
10:30am – 12:30pm.
Space is limited; first come first served.
Link in bio to attend virtual event.

Detail, magnification 10x
Liturgical Cuff, 16th century
Rogers Fund, 1910
10.168.1 by @mettextileconservation

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5 months ago

Metal threads have been used throughout history and across cultures to embellish textiles, catching the eye with their glimmer and sheen.

Join Anya Andreeva, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Conservation Fellow, Department of Textile Conservation for a demonstration of embroidering with metal thread, while learning about the tools, methods, and processes used to incorporating metal thread into historic textiles.

Friday, May 8 4-5:30 pm
Gallery 306, Floor 1 Free with Museum admission.
Space is limited; first come, first served.
See link in bio by @mettextileconservation

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5 months ago

celebrated the completion of the conservation treatment of “Julius Caesar” (47.101.3) by participating in ‘The Met Expert Talks at The Met Cloisters – Heroes Tapestries’—The third talk in the popular in-gallery series.

Conservators, Kisook Suh and Ligia Fernandez, gave a talk last Friday sharing the complex aspects of their conservation work over the past several years, that are not always evident unless pointed out by the conservators.

1. Detail of the tapestry upon acquisition in 1947
2. Kisook and Ligia during the Met Expert Talks program
3. Detail of the tapestry before treatment in 2022
4. Detail of the tapestry after treatment in 2025
5. Cuxa Cloisters

Link in bio.
Image credit:
Bruce Schwarz
Anna Andreeva by @mettextileconservation

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6 months ago

How do you transport and hang tapestries that are over 20-feet-long? Through the front entrance of The Met, of course!

Leaving Spain for the first time, these monumental tapestries were commissioned by Pope Leo X for Raphael to design to hang in the Sistine Chapel during special occasions—a project that put Raphael in direct competition with Michelangelo and his ceiling frescoes above.

Starting in 1515, Raphael began drawing small preliminary studies. With assistants, he produced full-scale painted cartoons to guide the weavers. The tapestries were so costly they contributed to the bankruptcy of Leo’s papacy, yet their bold compositions and scale made them prized among monarchs across Europe. Kings commissioned second editions woven from Raphael’s cartoons, and the set owned by King Philip II of Spain (1527–1598) is represented here by three stunning examples.

🎧 Listen to Research Associate, Caroline Elenowitz-Hess talk about transporting and hanging these tapestries in the exhibition "Raphael: Sublime Poetry," on view now at The Met. by @mettextileconservation

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6 months ago

“Wedding Attire: Three Cultures, One Celebration” on view in Gallery 599 features rarely shown wedding costumes from three cultures—Ottoman Türkiye, China and Japan. They exhibit unique expressions of each one’s cultural practices using the same basic materials and techniques.

The Bindalli, a thousand branches in Turkish, wedding dress is elaborately embroidered with three-dimensional floral designs covering the vibrant purple velvet underneath. In a technique known as dival, metal-wrapped threads are worked over a paper template or fiber wadding, raising the metal threads on the face of the embroidery- one way a dowery was represented at an Ottoman wedding.

The Chinese bridal jacket and skirt are satin, woven with shiny silk floss. The fine quality and luster of the satin and embroidery threads reflect China’s long history of sericulture. An elegant black jacket with cranes and auspicious symbols is paired with a red skirt—a felicitous color! The intricate needlework and composition showcases the mastery of balanced Chinese design.

The Japanese bridal costume consists of at least two layers of kimono—an under kimono (nagajuban) and an outer kimono with long flowing sleeves signifying an unmarried woman. Designs are created with a resist-dyeing technique, yūzen (pigments brushed onto fabric and rice-paste resisted areas to block out color.) Embroidery stitches are used as accents in the red round flat knots on the cranes’ heads with gilt-metal threads in single stem stitches around flowers/leaves.
It was a pleasure to work with colleagues in Asian Art, Islamic Art, Ratti Textile Study and Storage Center, Buildings, and Design to bring these remarkable costumes into the spotlight.

Bindalli Wedding Dress, Turkey, mid-19th–early 20th c. Irene Lewisohn and Alice L. Crowley Bequests 1979.442

Woman’s wedding jacket and skirt, China, early 20thc. Qing dynasty, 1644–1911. Gift of Captain and Mrs. James Thach 46.187.2a, b

Wedding ensemble with cranes, pines and rising-cloud patterns, Japan, early 20thc. Taisho period, 1912-26. Gift of Atsuko Irie, in honor of Suga Irie 1998.487.1a, b by @mettextileconservation

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6 months ago

See three large-scale tapestries from the Patrimonio Nacional Collection (@patrimnacional) in Madrid, Spain, now on view in “Raphael: Sublime Poetry” at The Met (@metmuseum)!

Arranged along the deep blue wall at the back of the gallery, these tapestries depict compelling stories: Saint Paul and Saint Barbara at Lystra (495cm x 752 cm), Christ's Charge to Peter (486cm x 733 cm), and The Miraculous Draft of the Fish (467cm x 594 cm). Their muscular figures are rendered with beautiful chiaroscuro achieved through blending silk and wool in soft pastel hues. Nuanced depictions associated with painting are masterfully woven with thread, such as in the fishing scene showing the reflection in the water.

Because of their large size, the tapestries were carefully carried up The Met’s grand staircase. Textile conservators collaborated seamlessly with The Met’s art handlers and registrars to bring these monumental tapestries to the exhibition galleries.

Now installed in Gallery 899, these extraordinary tapestries are on view in #MetRaphael now through June 28.

Weavers, Jan van Tieghem (Flemish, ca. 1535–after 1573), Frans Gheteels (act. 1540–68) after Raphael (Italian, Urbino; 1483–1520 Rome).
“Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas at
Lystra”
Silk and wool tapestry
“The Miraculous Draft of the Fish”
Silk and wool tapestry
“Christ’s Charge to Peter (or Pasce
over meas)”
Silk and wool tapestry by @mettextileconservation

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6 months ago