Cyrus letting the Jews go back to Jerusalem

These previously unedited, but significant, mid 16th century tapestries from Brussels depict Cyrus letting the Jews go back to Jerusalem and his defeat of the Massageti, which fired their queen with revenge, eventually spelling his own downfall and death in battle. The two tapestries, perhaps already damaged, were ingeniously cut into fragments to furnish the four walls--added with 19th century stop gaps--of the formal dining room. The Bagatti Valsecchi tapestries are identical in every detail to those known as "Hinton House" and "Gazzada", which probably means that they were produced following the same drawings of Coxcie at the same workshop at the same time (1570-1580) by the same weaver, whose mark (present on the Hinton House tapestries) is still currently undeciphered. Purchased by the brothers Fausto and Giuseppe securely before photographs show the room in 1880, they are still displayed--as are all other objects in the museum--in their original places, thus contributing to the authentic "time capsule" ambiance.