RARE 300-year-old gilt leather hangings on display in Dunster Castle are revealing new secrets following a major research project.

Castle general manager Carol Hunt said: “We are thrilled to offer visitors the chance to see these artworks in a new light.

“There is no complete series of the same story anywhere else in the world.

“The hangings have been reinterpreted and are the subject of a new film playing at the castle, depicting a ‘virtual gallery’ which allows visitors to see them as never before.”

Visitors to the Dunster Castle exhibition read notes on the exhibits. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.Part of one of the exquisite leather hangings in Dunster Castle. PHOTO: National Trust /Steve Haywood.Examples of beautifully preserved leather hangings on display in Dunster Castle. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.Detail shown in one of the main leather hangings on display in Dunster Castle. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.A visitor is dwarfed by one of Dunster Castle's leather hangings. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.A close-up showing the quality of Dunster Castle's preserved leather hangings. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.A man who has been felled is shown in the one of Dunster Castle's leather hangings. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.

Visitors to the Dunster Castle exhibition read notes on the exhibits. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.

Part of one of the exquisite leather hangings in Dunster Castle. PHOTO: National Trust /Steve Haywood.

Examples of beautifully preserved leather hangings on display in Dunster Castle. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.

Detail shown in one of the main leather hangings on display in Dunster Castle. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.

A visitor is dwarfed by one of Dunster Castle's leather hangings. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.

A close-up showing the quality of Dunster Castle's preserved leather hangings. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.

A man who has been felled is shown in the one of Dunster Castle's leather hangings. PHOTO: National Trust/Steve Haywood.

Crafted during the second half of the 17th century in the southern Netherlands, the panels depict scenes from the story of Antony and Cleopatra, hand-painted onto treated leather and finished with intricate gilt and stamped embellishments.

The artworks have recently been re-interpreted, having undergone in-depth historical analysis as part of a research partnership between the National Trust and The Open University.

Ms Hunt said: “This is a unique opportunity for visitors to explore these beautiful works of art up close and in detail.

“We are inviting people to delve into some of the fascinating history that research led by Professor Clare Taylor, from The Open University, has uncovered.”

The castle’s curator, Claire Reed, said: “The research has also allowed us to find out more about the artworks' history, their age, their origin of creation, and the changes they have undergone over the centuries.

But, mystery continues to surround the artworks.

How or why the Luttrell family obtained them remains unknown, though the story of Antony and Cleopatra was fashionable at the time they were made.

The hangings are also remarkable simply for having survived at a time when comparable leather items elsewhere have been lost entirely.

The hangings, part of the castle’s ‘Gilded Treasures Exhibition’, can be seen every day from 9 am to 4 pm.

More information is available on the trust’s website.