Isola Bella, the Borromeo Palace: the Tapestry Gallery. exhibits large tapestries, woven in wool and silk with gold and silver thread , and manufactured in Belgium. They were sent as a gift in 1787 by cardinal Vitaliano Borromeo VII to his nephew Gilberto V. Before that date, the precious tapestries may have been part of the collection of Cardinal Mazarin. The hypothetical belonging to the French prelate would also explain the choice of subjects that allegorically illustrate the theme of "sin" and that of "redemption", made possible by Grace and Divine Providence. Tthey represent "Evil" in the form of wild animals or mythical ones such as the unicorn, following a symbolism suggested by the ancient and Christian sources.
