300-year-old tapestry restored and returned to Blenheim Palace

VISITORS TO Blenheim Palace can as soon as once more marvel at an 18th century tapestry that has been lovingly restored and returned to its house within the First State Room.

The 300-year-old Schellenberg tapestry has been restored by textile conservator Emma Telford over a interval of 12 months.

The tapestry was conserved by delicately washing the tapestry to take away grime, repairing any threads which have degraded and mending holes.

The tapestry is then re-lined and velcro is connected to the sides and the partitions for re-hanging within the palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

The tapestry was commissioned by the first Duke of Marlborough between 1706 and 1710 as a part of The Victories Collection, a sequence of tapestries every depicting a pivotal battle within the Battle of Spanish Succession.

Schellenberg is a municipality within the lowland space of Liechtenstein, on the banks of the Rhine and the historic battle occurred on July 2nd, 1704.

Nice care was taken all through within the correct depiction of the army operations; the topography; the uniforms and gear of the troops, in addition to the portraits of the principle figures.

That is as a result of abilities of each artist Lambert de Hondt and weaver Judocus de Vos, precisely portraying the panorama and portraits in magnificent element offered by the first Duke of Marlborough.

Kate Ballenger, Keeper of Palace and Collections at Blenheim Palace stated: “The tapestry conservation program at Blenheim Palace started in 2008 and the conservation and return of the Schellenberg marks the twentieth tapestry conservation within the final 15 years which is a large milestone for us.

“At over 300 years previous, the tapestries are remarkably effectively preserved.

“They do nevertheless require conservation remedy to safe their existence for future generations, as abrasive mud and grime carried within the air can accumulate amongst the threads obscuring the designs and inflicting injury.”

Blenheim palace is open each day from 10am to 5pm and is a UNESCO World Heritage Website.