In 2012 the exhibition The Tapestry Gallery. Epiphanies of precious fabrics, displaying seventeen tapestries selected from among the precious series conserved at the Uffizi, recalled the times when they used to hang along the corridors of the Gallery, up until 1987 when they were removed to the repositories where they could be protected from the damage caused by light and tensile stress.

For the future display of the tapestries collection, on rotation and in the correct conditions in the rooms on the ground floor included in the ‘New Uffizi’ project, operations of different kinds and varying degrees of importance have been scheduled. Each of the tapestries features specific individual requirements that are met through the skill of the restorers.

The exhibition set up in the Reali Poste illustrates the various types of intervention.

The large tapestry portraying The despoiling of the bodies after the Battle of Cannae is part of the series of Scenes from the Life of Hannibal, which was woven around the mid-16^th century by the weaver Cornelis de Ronde, now divided between the Uffizi (three tapestries) and the Bavarian National Museum in Munich (six tapestries). An article by Lucia Meoni in the catalogue presents the entire series, illustrating the richness of the iconography and the workmanship.

The conservative restoration carried out on the tapestry by the textile workshop of Opera now allows us to appreciate the composition as a whole and the exuberance of the decorative details, enhanced by the use of virtuoso techniques in the weaving. The richness of detail and the overall composition are underscored by the extensive use of gold threads.   

The Ecce Homo and the Resurrection had already been restored in the 1990s. These precious devotional pieces were executed for the Medici manufactory by the Flemish tapestry weaver Nicola Karcher to cartoons by Francesco Salviati. They are now being displayed after a further operation by the textile workshop of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, which has considerably improved the rendering of colour in the missing parts.

Finally, after a demanding operation carried out again by the textile workshop of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure aimed at stabilising the precarious state of conservation so that it could be displayed to the public once again, we can now also admire the extremely fragile tapestry woven completely in silk by Giovanni Rost in 1553, portraying December, January and February from the series of the Months, the cartoons for which were supplied by Bachiacca.       

The presentation of these restoration operations is conceived as a contribution to unveiling the precious wealth of this collection, deserving investment and attention, to emphasise the potential that the regenerative force of correct restoration and good conservation can have in perpetuating the beauty of these stunning works of art.