For a limited period, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum is exhibiting one of its most extraordinary and rare masterpieces in the Collector’s Room: the Tiger Carpet, a splendid example of 16th-century Persian textile art.
Purchased by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli in 1855, the carpet is entirely hand-woven in silk, gold, and silver, and depicts a veritable heavenly garden populated by tigers, ferocious animals, exotic birds, and fantastical creatures. A symbolic work of the highest technical value, it was made in the royal workshops of central Persia in the final years of the reign of the Safavid Shah Tahmasp I (1524–1576), perhaps the same workshops where the famous Ardebil carpets, now preserved in London and Los Angeles, were created.
The carpet is remarkably vivid in color and exceptionally well preserved, and is one of the few examples that have survived intact. Along the edge runs a poetic inscription in silver brocade that reveals its royal destination:
“Blessed is the carpet that becomes a shadow beneath the Shah’s footsteps… t
hey have spun its weft with the thread of the soul…”
With its animal and floral motifs, the carpet belongs to the Paradiso type: an imaginary garden that recalls the ancient Eastern conception of paradise as an enclosed, harmonious, and lush space, where every element of nature is in perfect balance.
In 2013, the “Tigers” carpet underwent major conservation work, during which it was also the subject of an in-depth study. This new exhibition offers the public a unique opportunity to admire one of the most precious works in the Museum’s collection up close.
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NEWS
FROM SEPTEMBER 8, 2025
Behind the scenes of the restoration of Astianatte
A new on-sight restoration at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum. The protagonist is the Astianatte, an imposing sculptural group commissioned in 1836 by Rosa Trivulzio from Lorenzo Bartolini and completed in 1857 by Lorenzo Vela.
poldi pezzolI MUSEUM
Poldi Pezzoli Museum
Museo Poldi Pezzoli in the centre of Milan, close to the Duomo Cathedral and the Scala Theatre, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum welcomes you! Opened in 1881, it was the house of the noble Milanese Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli (1822-1879). Avid art collector, he had gathered here paintings as well as sculptures, carpets, laces, arms and armour, jewellery, clocks, porcelain and glass.
EDUCATION
Workshops and Activities
The Museum has initiated educational activities since 1974 through guided tours, workshops, specific tours and publications designed for all kinds of audiences, from schools of all levels to adults.
VISIT
Tours
To make your visit even more engaging and rich in discovery, we have created a series of unique itineraries designed to satisfy different passions and interests.