To secure the acquisition, The Auckland Project is awaiting a decision on the remaining funds from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. If successful, the tapestry will be on display to the public later this year in the recently opened Faith Museum.
The tapestry Saint Paul Directing the Burning of the Heathen Books, designed by Piete Coecke van Aelst, was commissioned by Henry VIII around 1535, at the time he broke with Rome. The monumental work, almost 20ft long and 12ft high, depicts St Paul overseeing the burning of ‘heathen books’ in Ephesus. Hailed as the ‘Holy Grail of Tudor Tapestry’, it was thought lost for nearly 200 years.
Flint Culture has worked closely with The Auckland Project to help raise the profile of the campaign and drum up support from the public, securing coverage for the campaign in local and national media, including The Guardian.
To get the word out to people interested in Tudor history, Flint Culture organised interviews with The Auckland Project’s curatorial team on specialist podcasts including History Hit’s Not Just the Tudors hosted by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb, Talking Tudors and Tudor Dynasty. The podcast episodes created notable excitement around the campaign and encouraged many people from across the world to get behind the campaign and make a generous donation.
Visit The Auckland Project’s website to stay updated.
