Royal Manufacturer of Tapestries De Wit in Mechelen: world leader in conservation and restoration of antique fabrics
In 2024, the Royal Manufacturer of Tapestries De Wit in Mechelen can look back on 135 years of expertise in the conservation and restoration of antique fabrics. In 1999, it also obtained a patent for aerosol extraction, considered the cleaning method of choice by museums.
The custom of covering bare, clammy castle walls with carpets probably originated in the mid-15th century. Aesthetics were not neglected. Weavers opted for religious, mythological, worldly, animal or plant motifs based on drawings by Rubens and other master painters. Flanders became the hub and production centre of this noble art. Over the centuries, many of these showpieces have ended up in prestigious museums or private collections worldwide.
When the ravages of time take hold, it makes sense to call on De Wit's unique infrastructure, technical innovations and highly specialised and experienced team to bring all restoration, consolidation or cleaning jobs to a successful conclusion. The Louvre in Paris, the Museum of Art History in Vienna, the British National Trust, the Zaragoza Cathedral in Spain, the royal collections of Sweden and Denmark and dozens of other renowned institutions in particular can attest to this. De Wit is further skilled in historical and iconographic analysis, valuation, hanging and unhanging, and the purchase and sale of tapestries.
World class, that much is clear.