The Pigeon Menace: Raphael's tapestries are in danger

The Raphael tapestries, which are now part of the display at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, were in danger for some time. These works of the Italian painter survived wars and fires, but more recently they were threatened by something seemingly harmless - pigeons. Employees of the daily Spanish newspaper ABC noted that the birds were in the halls where the works of art hang. There was litter on the floor, and pigeons were walking around next to one of the tapestries.

This problem arose when the halls of the palace decided to air out. Along with the fresh air, birds also entered here. Representatives of the Patrimonio Nacional Institute assure that the tapestries were not damaged, for additional protection, ultrasonic devices were installed that will scare away birds.

The exhibition features nine tapestries depicting episodes from the life of the disciples of Christ under the general title "The Acts of the Apostles". The sketches were originally commissioned by Pope Leo X to decorate the Sistine Chapel. Seeing the finished tapestries, some monarchs wanted them. In particular, Philip II of Spain made an order for the production of tapestries based on the created sketches. These exhibits have been on display since last year, an event dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death.