‘The exhibition offers the general public its first opportunity to see a number of tapestries of the Rubens school kept in the Diocesan Museum in Ancona. The four tapestries (the Assumption of the Virgin, the Eucharist, the Resurrection and the Adoration of the Shepherds) were probably commissioned by the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre of Ancona towards the middle of the 17th century. Thanks to the generous dedication of its members, the Brotherhood played an important role in the city’s civic life in addition to the works of charity it performed. The four tapestries were probably commissioned by the Brotherhood during restructuring work on the church and depict some of the fundamental doctrines of the Catho-lic faith reconfirmed by the Council of Trent. Although they were damaged during the last world war, restoration work has since revealed the precious nature of the materials used. The fabric itself is a mixture of wool and silk and each tapestry is 5 m. high and 3.5 m. wide. The colours have been splendidly preserved owing to the fact that the tapestries were carefully stored, rolled up and closed in when liturgy did not require them to be displayed over the high altar of the Holy Sacrament Church. The iconographic comparison scientifically conducted by Dr. An-na Pianosi, a leading authority in the field, reveals a definite parallel between the four tapestries and the other works from the Rubens school. The exhibition is organised in three sections. The first, by means of didactic panels and furnishing belonging to the 17th century bro-therhoods illustrates the life and prosperity of these associations which played such an influential role in the rediscovery and spreading of the Catholic faith after the Protestant break-away. The 2nd section contains the Eucharist and Assumption of the Virgin tapestries which have already been restored by Dr. Claudia Kusch and her team. Photographic reproductions of works by Rubens in some of the major museums of Europe enable the visitor to consider the justifiablity of attributing the tapestries to the Flemish painter. The last section will include the Resurrection tapestry, so far only cleaned and awaiting restoration work. Abundant photographic material will illustrate work carried out thus far. The Adoration of the Shepherds, the most seriously damaged by the war, will not be exhibited for safety reasons, but ample photographic documentation of this tapestry will be on show.’