The joint project of the University of Tartu, the Estonian Academy of Arts, and the City Museum of Tallinn aims to prepare the conservation and future exhibition of the museum’s 16th-century tapestries. The initiative brings together the expertise of art historians, historians, conservators, and scientists to investigate the tapestries through interdisciplinary methodologies. Employing art historical approaches, the project explores the practices and visual programs of Netherlandish tapestry workshops. The results of dye analyses will be linked to the significant shifts in global trade history in the early modern period. By the end of the project, the biographies of the objects—their origins, careers, and afterlives— will be mapped and placed within the context of global and local history. The project lays the foundation for the conservation and exhibition of some of our most significant textile artworks. It serves the goal of preserving and sharing unique European cultural heritage.
Funding period: 01 January – 31 December 2026
Lead partner: University of Tartu, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Institute of History and Archaeology
Funder: Estonian Ministry of Culture
Funding program: Eesti kultuuri teadus- ja arendusprogramm 2023-2026 (KUM-TA)
See also: Estonian Research Information System