The Bayeaux Embroidery

October 14 is the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 CE. An invading force led by William of Normandy, claimant to the English throne, defeated an army led by King Harold II. The closely fought battle lasted from dawn to dusk, ending when Harold was slain. He was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.

The Bayeaux Embroidery (commonly, but erroneously called “Tapestry”) depicts the Battle of Hastings and the events leading up to it, from the death of Harold’s predecessor on the throne, and William’s cousin, Edward the Confessor. This important work of Romanesque art, which dates to ca. 1070-79 CE, may have been commissioned by the Bishop Odo, William’s half brother. The embroidery is first mentioned in a 1476 inventory of the Bayeaux Cathedral. The embroidery techniques are regarded as characteristically Anglo-Saxon, not Norman, which has led some scholars to search for encoded subversive messages, while others reject the notion.

The embroidery measures 70 meters by 50 cm. This facsimile on paper, based upon superb photographic rendering of the original’s textures, is 60% of the original’s size.

The Bayeaux Embroidery is thought to have been displayed hanging from walls or specially made framework. The physical act of walking through the narrative - in effect, walking through time - would have been part of the viewing experience. The facsimile, placed inside a cabinet, in effect remixing the Embroidery as a scroll, introduces other, interesting aspects to how we view the art & narrative.