The Medici family were a powerful and influential Florentine dynasty during the Renaissance, renowned for their vast banking fortune, their political role in Florence and Tuscany, and their patronage of the arts—laying early foundations for the development of art collecting that would, centuries later, contribute to the creation of modern museums.
Building on this historical legacy, the The European Fine Art Foundation and its principal partner Bank of America support cultural preservation through the TEFAF Museum Restoration Fund (TMRF) 2026.
A significant example of this effort is a collective exhibition exploring Florida’s identity through contemporary art in Miami. Among its highlights is a monumental tapestry measuring 5.3 meters, produced in the Florentine workshop founded in 1545 by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, with contributions from the Brussels master weaver Jan Rost.
The original designs were created in the workshops of painter Francesco Salviati between 1546 and 1548, and the tapestry itself was woven between 1547 and 1549, during the early years of Medici tapestry production.
The restoration of the tapestry was carried out by the Midwest Art Conservation Center. The work included wet cleaning, stabilization, restoration, and long-term preservation measures. A new support system was installed to ensure safe display while preventing further deterioration.
The tapestry will be exhibited once again at the Minneapolis Institute of Art as part of the exhibition Back from the Underworld: Mia’s Dante Tapestry Restored, open to the public from July 11, 2026, to January 31, 2027—offering a remarkable opportunity to experience the splendor of Florentine Renaissance art.
As Max Bryant, Associate Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture at Mia, stated:
“To return a work of this scale and importance to the public is a key moment for the museum and for all those interested in Renaissance art.”
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