Entry into Palestine of the Army of Vespasian and Titus

The tapestry Entrance into Palestine of the Army of Vespasian and Titus was restored between 2022 and 2025 thanks to the support of Intesa Sanpaolo. The intervention was carried out by Open Care – Servizi per l’Arte of Milan. The work was subsequently presented to the public as part of the final exhibition of
Restituzioni 2025, held at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni from 28 October 2025 to 18 January 2026. The tapestry has since returned to its home at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

HISTORY

The tapestry entered Vittorio Cini’s collections in 1967, as a gift from the diplomat Leonardo Vitetti and was immediately destined for the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. It is considered the most valuable piece in the group of seventeen tapestries in the Cini collection. Dated between 1470 and 1480, it is of Franco-Flemish manufacture, created from a model by the Master of Coëtivy, with wool yarns for the warp and wool and silk yarns for the weft. It is a large fragment cut on all four sides, depicting the first act of Roman conquest of Palestine. The scene represented is not complete: the textile is in fact the right half of a large tapestry whose left part depicts Nero sending Vespasian and Titus to Palestine and is preserved at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs of Lyon.

THE RESTORATION

The tapestry was in a precarious state of conservation. After being secured by the Fondazione, preliminary operations began in 2022 with an initial high-resolution 3D digital acquisition, carried out by the Factum Foundation team in collaboration with the Digital Centre – ARCHiVe. The laboratory analyses revealed the surface fading of the original colours and deterioration of the fibres; the surface was covered with dust deposits, while the brown, dark brown and dark beige yarns had fallen off, as a result of the ferrous components in natural tannin-based dyes. In some areas there were losses, sometimes considerable, as well as cuts, tears and folds. The complex restoration work made it possible to bring to light all the figurative elements, the extraordinary craftsmanship and
the complexity of the colour scheme. The restoration operations were carried out by Open Care – Servizi per l’Arte of Milan. After detailed digital mapping, the restoration began with the removal of surface deposits from the front and back using variable-power vacuum cleaners, preparing the tapestry for washing. The long consolidation phase began with the revision of all separations in the weave. Subsequently, the tapestry was entirely supported with linen fabric to ensure renewed structural stability for the textile.