Renaissance tapestries are a unique source of inspiration for designers. The confluence of complex design concepts, technical skill, and use of the finest threads provides a visual treat unlike many other art forms. Unraveling the process of their creation and lifespan is the topic of the exhibit Examining Opulence: A Set of Renaissance Tapestry Cushions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Examining Opulence takes a closer look at the interdisciplinary methods used by museum curators and conservators in the process of examining, restoring, and preparing art objects for display. Six tapestry-woven cushion covers are the objects under study, each of which depict scenes from the lives of Abraham and Isaac with precise and colorful detail. By way of the tapestries themselves, images, and text, visitors are exposed to the curatorial process of collecting the information that ultimately brings relevancy and vibrancy to the tapestries to a contemporary audience. There is technical mastery infused in every weft and warp of a Renaissance tapestry. Large and small-scale tapestries were the medium of choice during the Renaissance to visually capture biblical and mythological narratives in rich detail, stressing the art form’s sumptuous, ornamental quality. Commonly, illustrious collectors and patrons of the arts commissioned the tapestries, which were then designed by distinguished artists and produced by master weavers. A single cushion could take hundreds of hours to create. The technical and artistic skill put forth in these tapestries cannot be underestimated. The exhibit includes images captured with microscopic lenses that expose the superiority of the object’s weave and the current state of tapestry dyes as they stand four centuries later. One image on display reveals what were once gilded threads and are now grey-colored metal strips that wrap around a cushion’s yellow silk base.The exhibit also gives a rare glimpse of the backs of the tapestry cushions, exposing the threads’ deeper hues since the backsides are rarely exposed to sunlight. Other discoveries made in the process of analyzing the tapestry cushions include the particular trajectories of each object. On display are photographs of the interior of the Park Avenue home of George Blumenthal, curator and eighth president of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The viewer can spot the tapestry cushions being used as decorative pieces before they were donated to the museum. Examining Opulence complements the first major monographic exhibit dedicated to the 16th century Flemish artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550). Grand Design: Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Renaissance Tapestry draws together 19 massive tapestries (among other objects), meticulously produced in workshops where master weavers would translate Coecke van Aelst’s inventive designs. Both exhibits shed light on the luxurious nature of Renaissance tapestries, exposing the technical feats and artistic brilliance that make up each work of art. Examining Opulence runs through January 18, 2015. Grand Design will be on display through January 11, 2015.