The Meeting of Dante and Virgil, 1546–49. Wool, silk, tapestry weave. Courtesy of Mia.
The only early Medicean tapestry in a public collection outside Italy is to be restored. The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is recipient of the 2026 Museum Restoration Fund from The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF). Joint support from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project will enable the conservation of The Meeting of Dante and Virgil, a monumental 16th-century Italian tapestry of exceptional rarity and importance.
Established in 2012, the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund supports the conservation and related scholarly research of significant works held in public collections. This year marks the first time the fund has supported the treatment of a tapestry. Mia holds one of the most distinguished tapestry collections in the United States, with 41 works. The Meeting of Dante and Virgil is among the most significant Renaissance works in Mia’s collection and is considered the most important Italian Renaissance tapestry in the United States. The tapestry measures 5.3 meters, which is equivalent to 17.4 feet.
The Florentine workshop that produced the tapestry was founded in 1545 by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, who sought to rival the celebrated weaving centers of Brussels. He recruited Jan Rost, a master weaver from Brussels, to establish and oversee production. The tapestry’s design and cartoons were created by the painter Francesco Salviati (1510–1563) between 1546 and 1548, and the work was woven between 1547 and 1549 during the formative years of Medici tapestry production.
TEFAF New York runs from May 15-19 at the Park Avenue Armory.