27 Apr 2018

Falkland tapestries return from Belgium ablaze with colour

Written by Antonia Laurence-Allen (Curator, Edinburgh and East Region)

Detail in a tapestry showing two lovers in a forest, before and after cleaning

Detail showing two lovers in a forest before and after cleaning

The Trust collaborated with Hopetoun House Preservation Trust to send the tapestries to Belgium, where a state-of-the-art cleaning system for historical tapestries, patented by the Royal Manufacturers De Wit, removed a century of dirt. They left Falkland in February and we re-installed them just after Easter.

These Flemish verdure tapestries were woven in Belgium in the 17th century. Thanks to the cleaning, we can now fully appreciate the depth of colour, movement and richness of the imagery.