The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most well known and interesting pieces of artwork from the Middle Ages. This feature offers readers information about the Bayeux Tapestry, including videos and articles
The tapestry is a band of linen 231 feet (70 metres) long and 19.5 inches (49.5 cm) wide, now light brown with age, on which are embroidered, in worsteds of eight colours, more than 70 scenes representing the Norman Conquest. The story begins with a prelude to Harold’s visit to Bosham on his way to Normandy (1064?) and ends with the flight of Harold’s English forces from Hastings (October 1066); originally, the story may have been taken further, but the end of the strip was either not completed or later removed. Along the top and the bottom run decorative borders with figures of animals, scenes from the fables of Aesop and Phaedrus, scenes from husbandry and the chase, and occasionally scenes related to the main pictorial narrative. It has been restored more than once, and in some details the restorations are of doubtful authority.
When first referred to (1476), the tapestry was used once a year to decorate the nave of the cathedral in Bayeux, France. There it was “discovered” by the French antiquarian and scholar Bernard de Montfaucon, who published the earliest complete reproduction of it in 1730. Having twice narrowly escaped destruction during the French Revolution, it was exhibited in Paris at Napoleon’s wish in 1803–04 and thereafter was in civil custody at Bayeux, except in 1871 (during the Franco-German War) and from September 1939 to March 1945 (during World War II).
Montfaucon found at Bayeux a tradition, possibly not more than a century old, that assigned the tapestry to Matilda, wife of William I (the Conqueror), but there is nothing else to connect the work with her. It may have been commissioned by William’s half brother Odo, bishop of Bayeux; Odo is prominent in the later scenes, and three of the very few named figures on the tapestry have names borne by obscure men known to have been associated with him. This conjecture would date the work not later than about 1092, an approximate time now generally accepted.
The tapestry has affinities with other English works of the 11th century, and, though its origin in England is not proved, there is a circumstantial case for such an origin. The tapestry is of greater interest as a work of art. It is also important evidence for the history of the Norman Conquest, especially for Harold’s relation to William before 1066; its story of events seems straightforward and convincing, despite some obscurities. The decorative borders have value for the study of medieval fables.
The Bayeux Tapestry in the News
Should the Bayeux tapestry be brought back to England? – in 2008 a British historian claimed that the tapestry was actually made in Canterbury, and started a debate on whether or not it should be moved from Bayeux to England
A century on, Bayeux tapestry ‘vandal’ is cleared – an archaeologist reports that it was a 19th-century artist named Charles Stothard who cut off a small piece of the tapestryin 1816
Videos about the Bayeux Tapestry
Animated version of the Bayeux Tapestry. Starts about halfway through the original work at the appearence of Halley’s Comet and concludes at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
An excellent video tutorial describing the history and importance of the Bayeux Tapestry.
A short video about the Bayeux Tapestry and its possible connections with the City of Canterbury, England. Stones thought to have been part of the original Catherdral in Canterbury show remarkable resemblance to images shown on the original Tapestry. This video is part of the Museum of Canterbury Digi-Guide, a free audio-visual highlights tour of the collection.
This video is to help prove a theory that the images of the Norman invasion fleet in the Bayeux tapestry are true and correct interpretations of the type of sail used – the twisting/knots to reef the sail and the use of shields to support the steering and the aditional forward line to help depower the sail when required.
Polish video that shows the Bayeux Tapestry.
Online Articles about the Bayeux Tapestry
Burning Down the House: Scorched Earth Tactics Suggested by Wace and Bayeux Tapestry, by Collin Davey and Monica L. Wright
The Bayeux Tapestry and the Vitae of Edward the Confessor in Dialogue, by Jennifer N. Brown
Sacred Threads: The Bayeux Tapestry as a Religious Object, by Richard M. Koch
Hypertext, Hypermedia and the Bayeux Tapestry: A Study of Remediation, by John Micheal Crafton
Stylistic Variation and Roman Influence in the Bayeux Tapestry, by Gale R. Owen-Crocker
The Bayeux Tapestry and the Vikings, by Shirley Ann Brown
The Saxon Statement: Code in the Bayeux Tapestry, by Richard D. Wissolik
The Bayeux Tapestry: History or Propaganda?, by Shirley A. Brown
Les représentations du pouvoir dans la broderie de Bayeux (XIe siècle), by Philippe Lardin
Observations upon a Scene in the Bayeux Tapestry, the Battle of Hastings and the Military System of the Late Anglo-Saxon State, by M.K. Lawson
Books and Articles about the Bayeux Tapestry
Click here to go to our page on the Bibliography of the Bayeux Tapestry
Links to Other Sites about the Bayeux Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry Images – full set of images of the tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry: Unpicking the Past – from the BBC
Historic Tale Construction Kit – you can create your own images and story from pictures and text from the Bayeux Tapestry
Related posts:
