Rare tapestry goes on display at Minneapolis Institute of Art for first time in 70 years

A centuries-old piece of art is now on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art for the first time in 70 years. 

"What we have is the most important Italian Renaissance tapestry in America," James Ford Bell Associate Curator of European Arts and Decorative Sculpture Max Bryant said.

The tapestry is called "Dante Meets Virgil." It depicts a scene from "Dante's Divine Comedy" in which Dante meets the poet Virgil, who guides him through hell, purgatory and heaven.

"This is the highest art form, the highest media of the period of which it's made," Bryant said.

The 17-foot-tall artwork was designed by Italian Renaissance painter Francesco Salviati and was woven in Florence, Italy, in the 1540s. 

"It represents the only surviving tapestry from the greatest era of Florentine tapestry production that's outside of Italy," Bryant said.

First acquired by MIA in 1915, the tapestry has been locked away since the 1950s due to its fragility. 

"There hadn't been a way of displaying it that was safe, that wouldn't have damaged it further," Bryant said.

But after months of careful restoration, the tapestry is back on display for a limited time. Bryant says it's the exquisite detail in the tapestry that makes it such a magnificent piece.

"The amazing feature of this really is the face of Dante. The way the weavers have woven an expression into the face that is both recognizable as a portrait of this great poet but also characterizes him emotionally," Bryant said.

For visitors to the museum, the larger-than-life tapestry is truly a sight to behold.

"Just the artistry that went into it and to still have it there to look at and to show it to the public is just amazing," visitor Marc Galbraith, of Topeka, Kansas, said. 

The tapestry will be on display through the end of January.