Cleaning the Tapestries at the Chateau Royal d'Amboise

Gently and carefully lowering a section of tapestry to vacuum it.

The other day I was at the Chateau Royal d'Amboise and two conservators were gently vacuuming one of the 17th century Aubusson tapestries. They were using special museum vacs and the tapestry has been backed with hessian. This is to take the weight of the big heavy tapestry so gravity doesn't pull it apart when it is hung. Adding the backing is a modern conservation measure. Old tapestries were not made with a backing and you could see all the thread ends. The conservators were struggling with the weight and it was causing a certain amount of bad language. They were mortified when they discovered I spoke French and had understood their exclamations.

Preparing to lower a section of the tapestry for vacuuming.