Bayeux Tapestry
Ever learn a fact when you were young and still remember but
have no idea why you were supposed to know that piece of information? For me, it was in elementary school that I
memorized “William the Conqueror..Battle of Hastings..1066”. Big whoopee!!! I never remembered anything else about this morsel of
knowledge. It was years and years later
that I encountered the Bayeux Tapestry.
Several weeks ago I found two books about the history of this textile,
and felt I should do a bit of research about William and his battle.
A Needle in the Right Hand of God, R. Howard Block, Random House, NY, 2001
The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry, Andrew Bridgeford, Walker & Co., NY, 2005
William of Normandy defeated Harold and the Anglo-Saxons at
Hastings in the year of 1066. This was
one of the most important battles fought in the Middle Ages and marked the
beginning of Britain’s role in Europe.
The story of this battle is told in this special
textile. The history of this piece is
quite remarkable. Firstly, the Bayeux
Tapestry is not a tapestry, it is a very, very large embroidery. Considering its age, (nearly 1,000 years) it
is unbelievable that it has survived and is in good enough condition to be
displayed now as it had been over the past centuries. There had always been
controversy about who had actually created the embroidery and who were the
expert stitchers. Now, many historians
believe that it was commissioned by the Norman contingent but actually designed
and stitched by Anglo-Saxon workers between 1066 and early 1080’s. It can be seen in the Abbey of Bayeux in
France.
The embroidery details the events leading up to the battle
and the battle itself. The textile is
230 feet long by 20 inches high. The
details tell of life in the Middle Ages and remains an excellent source for costumes
and home furnishings of the period. The
first description of the tapestry is found in an inventory for the Bayeux
Cathedral (1476). The Cathedral used it
to decorate the nave on special days of celebration. Scholars began their study of the work in the early 18thC.
Worked on linen ground with eight shades of wool threads in
laid and couched work, chain, stem and split stitches. There are a total of nine sections (the
last, estimated to be three to seven feet in length, had been somehow destroyed
so there are eight remaining sections) measuring between 14 meters and 2.5
meters. The main central frieze depicts
the scenario of the battle and its history.
There are ships, buildings, animals, including horses and dogs and 626
human figures, of which only 5 are female. Above and below are borders
containing mythological and real creatures, astrological symbols and ancient
folklore. There is also Latin commentary running along the top of the main
frieze, presumably to add description of the scenes. Much of our current knowledge of this work was gained in analysis
and some restoration done in 1982-1983.
One story about the history of The Bayeux Tapestry concerns
the interest of Hitler during WWII. The
Nazis had acquired works of art throughout Europe and Hitler had sent several
groups of experts to study the tapestry but, for some reason, had made no move
to remove it from France. Then, one day
a contingent of soldiers and scholars appeared to take it from the Louvre,
where it was stored. As they were
approaching the museum the allies liberated Paris and the textile was spared.
So thanks to William the Conqueror…Battle of Hastings…1066 a
remarkable piece of textile art and history remains.
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