Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph: One of the Worlds Largest Tapestries

Tapestry is a textile art that is traditionally woven on a vertical loom. Depicting pictures or designs that are formed by weaving coloured weft threads or by embroidering on canvas, tapestries are more often used as wall hangings or for soft furnishings.

Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph is said to be the largest continuously woven tapestry on the planet. With a rich history that dates back to 1951, it hangs on the wall of the Cathedral Church of St Michael's Lady Chapel in Coventry, where it has been the subject of an ongoing cleaning and conservation project since 2015.

The cathedral was built after World War II, when the original adjoining cathedral of St Michael was destroyed by air raids. As both a tourist attraction and a busy church, the new cathedral stands alongside the ruins of the first cathedral.

The tapestry was specially commissioned for inclusion by architect Basil Spence and was designed by Graham Sutherland in 1951. The image depicts the risen Christ, who is surrounded by the four Evangelists - a description taken from the Book of Revelation. It is 23 metres high and 12 metres wide and is made of dyed wool wefts and undyed cotton warps.

The tapestry was specially woven by the Pinton Frères of Felletin workshop, near Aubusson in France. It was finally installed in the Cathedral in March 1962, with a consecration ceremony taking place in May of the same year. There are said to be more than 900 colours in the design. A team of 12 weavers completed the tapestry, which was woven in one piece.

Prior to the conservation effort that commenced in 2015, surface-cleaning had been carried out numerous times, the most recent being in 2001. It was decided that longer-term preservation of the tapestry was required and the organisation, Textile Conservation Ltd, was commissioned to reassess its condition in 2012.

The appraisal took two years and in 2014, May Berkouwer Textile Conservation and Alison Lister ACR of Textile Conservation Ltd provided proposals for the necessary work. In February 2015, the two organisations were enlisted to work together in coordination with Coventry Cathedral.

Berkouwer was briefed to carry out surface cleaning and then to begin trials for further cleaning and an improvement to the tapestry's hanging mechanism. She was also commissioned to plan and set up an investigation of the environmental conditions around the tapestry.

The current project is the most detailed and complex examination of the tapestry in more than 50 years. Scaffolding has been required in order for the conservationists to reach the full height of the tapestry and a detailed health and safety plan was prepared beforehand. Four conservators worked on the project and each required body harness, helmets and fail-safe mechanisms in order to carry out their duties.

They discovered surface dust on both the front and back of the tapestry and also ingrained soiling in bands. There were also hanging mechanism issues, as the hanging strips at the side had deteriorated over the years. The findings are being used to set up a conservation plan, which is currently being finalised.

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