Jimmy Page has loaned a pair of tapestries from his private collection to a new exhibition at the Tate.
The 74-year-old guitarist has loaned the huge tapestries – which display scenes from legends of King Arthur and the search for the Holy Graill – to Tate Britain for a new exhibition of the work of 19th century artist Edward Burne-Jones.
Discussing his private collection, Jimmy recalled: "I managed to purchase them from Sotheby’s when they came up for sale.
"They’re the most extraordinary pieces and never in my wildest dreams, in those days of actually acquiring them, did I ever think they would come to the Tate."
The ‘Black Dog’ hitmaker revealed the artist has been a hugely influential figure in his life since he studied his work at college.
He told the BBC: "Burn-Jones is an artist that I had always been extremely influenced by in my youth when I was at Art College.
"I went to Art College to try and learn the techniques of oil painting but by the time I went into art college, it was all into acrylics and they said no one could teach you anything to do with glazing and these techniques, but I stayed on there. I enjoyed it."
The rock icon appeared at Tate Britain to see the rare works of Edward installed before they go on show at the biggest retrospective of the Pre-Raphaelite artist in decades.
Tate curator Alison Smith said Jimmy was "particularly impressed by the way it was lit and the colours" after she showed him around the exhibition.
Alison – who has been working on the show for three years – added: "When people come to this show they’ll get the Burne-Jones bug."
The Tate exhibition opens on Wednesday (24.10.18) and runs until February 24.
Jimmy Page loans tapestries to new Tate exhibition
