Restoration Project: Blenheim Palace's Wynendael Tapestry sent for Restoration
Wynendael Tapestry sent for Restoration
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was the greatest military commander of his age. In the early 18th century, he commissioned a unique set of tapestries to commemorate his famous victories at Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde and Malplaquet. The magnificent tapestries known as 'The Victory Tapestries of John Churchill' hang today in the State Rooms at Blenheim Palace and are a dramatic part of the Palace tours.
As part of the Palace's ongoing restoration and conservation work, the tapestries are carefully inspected for any damage or repairs necessary for their preservation. The Wynendael Tapestry has undergone conservation at Shephard Travis Textile Conservation studio in November 2010. Overall the tapestry was in a sound structural condition but there had been some early degradation of the silk and supports. The tapestry was found to be slightly acidic and was in need of light surface cleaning.
Shephard Travis has reinforced and replaced some of the silk threads and applied a full support fabric to the back of the tapestry to provide long term structure and support - essential in such a large heavy textile on open permanent display. They also repaired and reinforced the seams that had become stressed. The project took over six months and was finished in mid-June and re-hung in the Green Writing Room.
The Wynendael Tapestry is one of the tapestries that depict the 1st Duke of Marlborough engagements against the French that took place in 1708, it is the only one in the series that does not depict Marlborough and his generals. It features a cart, known as a 'Malbruk', named after the 1st Duke who is believed to have designed it. The tapestry refers to a convoy of the carts travelling from Ostend to Lille with ammunition and supplies, which the French cavalry unsuccessfully tried to ambush and is notable for the richness of its carefully observed details.
