Medieval tapestry depicting people and animals in a forest setting.
Francesco Salviati. The Meeting of Dante and Virgil (detail), 1546–49, wool, silk; tapestry weave. Gift of Mrs. C.J. Martin for the Charles Jairus Martin Memorial Collection, 15.35. Image © Minneapolis Institute of Art

Back from the Underworld: Mia’s Dante Tapestry Restored

Back from the Underworld: Mia’s Dante Tapestry Restored

July 11, 2026 - January 31, 2027
Miles and Shirley Fiterman Gallery (330)
Free Exhibition

What is physically the largest Italian Renaissance masterpiece in the United States? The answer has been in storage at Mia for nearly 70 years.

This exhibition brings back to view Francesco Salviati’s tapestry depicting the meeting of Dante and Virgil at the beginning of the Inferno. Over 17 feet tall, the tapestry was created to cover an entire wall of the Palazzo Salviati in Florence and was woven in the 1540s at a workshop established by the Grand Duke Cosimo de Medici.

Thanks to a grant from The European Fine Arts Foundation (TEFAF), the tapestry has recently undergone conservation, allowing it to be stabilized and safely displayed once again. Due to its sensitivity to light, however, it can only be exhibited for a limited time—making this a rare opportunity to experience the work in person.

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Curator Talk

The Tapestry of the Meeting of Dante and Virgil (1547–49) by Francesco Salviati.

Max Bryant, Mia’s James Ford Bell Associate Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, explores the tapestry’s artistic significance and the fascinating story of its conservation.

Francesco Salviati. The Meeting of Dante and Virgil (detail), 1546–49, wool, silk; tapestry weave. Gift of Mrs. C.J. Martin for the Charles Jairus Martin Memorial Collection, 15.35. Image © Minneapolis Institute of Art