Tapestries arrive in Belgium

Two 300 year old Tapestries from St. John Co-Cathedral are in Belgium and are being restored by "The Royal Manufacturers de Wit" of Mechelen, Belgium.

These tapestries are being loaned for display for an exhibition of Rubens Textiles organised by the City of Antwerp to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Rubens House as a Museum. This will be held at the historic "Hessenhius" between 27 June and 5 October. All costs connected with the loan of the tapestries and most of the restoration cost will be borne by the organisers of the exhibition.

These arrangements which are in line with the government's, the Ministry of Education and National Culture and the Department of Museums' policy of preserving the national heritage, has had the full collaboration of the Metropolitan Cathedral Chapter and St. John's Co-Cathedral Museum.

Both these tapestries have been inspired by two famous Rubens paintings. One tapestry depicts the "Annunciation" and the other one the "Nativity". In fact the tapestry depicting the "Annunciation" will be exhibited along the very large original painting by Rubens.

Peter Paul Rubens was the most sought-after painter in northern Europe during the seventeenth century. He was also a diplomat, linguist, and scholar. His dynamic, emotional style with its rich texture, vivid colour, and lively movement has influenced Western art to the present day.