A treasure of Mia’s collection is a set of ten tapestries woven in Paris in the early seventeenth century. The tapestries tell a fictionalized story of the historical Queen Artemisia of Caria (reigned c. 480 BCE). Here, we present the first four tapestries in the story; the next four will be displayed in 2026.

The figure of Artemisia was conceived as a tribute to Queen Catherine de Medici (1519–1589). Catherine was regent of France, mother of three kings, and one of the most powerful women of the Renaissance. Mia’s tapestries include ones added to the cycle when a distant relative of Catherine, Marie de’ Medici (1575–1642), was herself regent of France.