Bayeux tapestry

Home > Literature and the Arts > Art and Architecture > European Art to 1599

Bayeux Tapestry. An extraordinary work: simultaneously, it is a major work of art, unique for its time, a stunning piece of propaganda in support of the Norman claim to the English throne in 1066, and, archaeologically speaking, a record of immense importance for the study of a host of subjects ranging from contemporary ship construction and navigation, military tactics, and equipment, to the more homely—clothes and fashions, furniture and fittings. In considerable detail, it portrays 626 people, 202 horses, 55 dogs, 505 animals of various sorts, 37 fortresses and/or buildings, 41 boats and ships, and innumerable weapons, clothes, and agricultural implements.

Strictly speaking, the tapestry is an embroidery, some 230 feet long and around 20 inches high. It is worked in eight coloured wools on a plain linen ground, its masses of colour, in couched and laid work, defined by stem or outline stitch. It was produced in six separate pieces, the consistent quality indicating very close monitoring by the overall designer. It consists of one single horizontal line of action set within two borders (above and below), and takes the form of a sequence of vignettes, which provide an episodic account of events.

Politically, the tapestry records some of the events of 1064/5–6 which culminated in the death of Harold II at the battle of Hastings. But it is certainly not objective. The tapestry seeks to impart a political message which splices with its overarching moral—the inevitable fate that awaits any man who breaks a solemn oath sworn on the relics of Bayeux cathedral. Since Harold is shown swearing such an oath to Duke William of Normandy in full public view, the tapestry's story is that of Harold's downfall after he committed perjury by taking the English throne on Edward the Confessor's death. William in this context is but the rod of divine vengeance.

Internal evidence indicates that the tapestry was produced for Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William's half-brother. It is now generally accepted that it was made in England, probably in Kent, of which Odo was earl (1067–82). If the attribution to Odo is correct, then it must have been made between 1066 and 1097, when Odo died; and if it is English, then a date in the 1070s or early 1080s is most likely as Odo rebelled in 1082, was imprisoned for five years, and lost Kent. The tapestry is housed at Bayeux near Caen in Normandy.

S. D. Lloyd

Bayeux Tapestry. The most famous of all pieces of needlework (actually an embroidery rather than a tapestry), depicting William the Conqueror's successful invasion of England in 1066 and the events that led up to it. It was probably commissioned by William's half-brother Bishop Odo of Bayeux (who has a prominent role in the story shown), within a few years of the conquest, and it was almost certainly made in England, at this time famous for embroidery. The tapestry is worked in eight different colours of wool (used decoratively rather than naturalistically) on a plain linen ground. It is made up of eight pieces of linen joined together, with a total length of almost 70 m (230 ft); the concluding end is damaged and some scenes are lost. The average height is about 50 cm (20 in). The narrative is arranged in a continuous horizontal line of action, one scene merging into another without any vertical division. A running text in Latin provides a commentary, and a border extends above and below the main scenes; these borders contain mainly decorative elements but also elements of sub-plot. Stylistically the tapestry has much in common with English illumination of the period. The drawing is clear, vivid, and full of action and the composition leads on skilfully from one incident to the next. Considering its great length it is remarkably unified, suggesting close supervision by the overall designer. In addition to being a unique and highly impressive work of art, it is an immensely important historical document, containing a wealth of information on topics ranging from shipbuilding to fashionable clothes.

The tapestry is first recorded in the 15th century, when it hung in Bayeux Cathedral, and engravings of it were first published in 1739. During the French Revolution it narrowly escaped destruction. In 1842 it was placed on permanent public display, and after having various unsatisfactory homes (including the town hall and the municipal library), it is now housed in a purpose-built museum, the Musée de la Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde. (The Queen Matilda referred to is William the Conqueror's wife, who according to an old local tradition made the Tapestry.)

Bayeux Tapestry An extraordinary work: it is a major work of art, unique for its time, a stunning piece of political propaganda in support of the Norman claim to the English throne in 1066, and a record of immense importance for the study of subjects ranging from contemporary ship construction and navigation, military tactics, and equipment, to the more homely—clothes and fashions, furniture and fittings.

Strictly speaking, the tapestry is an embroidery, some 230 feet long and around 20 inches high. It is worked in eight coloured wools on a plain linen ground, its masses of colour, in couched and laid work, defined by stem or outline stitch. It was produced in six separate pieces, the consistent quality indicating very close monitoring by the overall designer. It consists of one single horizontal line of action set within two borders (above and below), and takes the form of a sequence of vignettes.

Politically, the tapestry records some of the events of 1064/5–6 which culminated in the death of Harold II at Hastings. But it is not objective. It Seeks to impart a political message which splices with its overarching moral—the inevitable fate that awaits any man who breaks a solemn oath. Since Harold is shown swearing such an oath to Duke William of Normandy in full public view, the tapestry's essential story is that of Harold's downfall after he committed perjury by taking the English throne on Edward the Confessor's death.

Internal evidence indicates that the tapestry was produced for Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William's half‐brother. It is now generally accepted that it was made in England, probably in Kent, of which Odo was earl (1067–82).

Bayeux tapestry This so-called tapestry is in fact an embroidery that chronicles the Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror ( William I ) in 1066. It is a long, narrow strip of coarse linen, 230 ft by 20 in. (70 m by 51 cm), embroidered in worsteds of eight colors in couching and stem stitch. The embroidery is a valuable document on the history and the costumes of the time. Its provenance and date have long been disputed. Tradition attributes it to Queen Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, and her handmaidens; but it is now thought to be of somewhat later origin and possibly the work of English embroiderers. The embroidery is preserved in the Bayeux Museum.

Bibliography: See Sir Eric Maclagan, The Bayeux Tapestry (1945); F. Stenton et al., The Bayeux Tapestry (1957, repr. 1965).

Bayeux Tapestry a fine example of medieval English embroidery, executed between 1066 and 1077, probably at Canterbury, for Odo, bishop of Bayeux and half-brother of William the Conqueror, and now exhibited at Bayeux in Normandy. In seventy-nine scenes, accompanied by a Latin text and arranged like a strip cartoon, it tells the story of the Norman Conquest and the events leading up to it; these include a representation of Halley of Chancery, the appearance of which as causing predictions of disaster prior to the Battle of Hastings is noted in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Bayeux Tapestry A celebrated piece of embroidered linen fabric (not a tapestry) depicting the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is about 70 m (231 feet) long - the last section is lost - and 50 cm (19½ inches) wide, and is arranged with one episode succeeding another in more than seventy scenes. Perhaps made to the order of William the Conqueror's half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux in Normandy, it was displayed for centuries in the cathedral at Bayeux and is now housed in the former Bishop's Palace there.

Bayeux tapestry (c.1080) Strip of linen embroidered in wool, measuring 70m × 48cm (231ft × 19in) and depicting (in more than 70 scenes) the life of Harold II of England and the Norman Conquest. An unfounded tradition attributes its design to Matilda, wife of William I (the Conqueror), but it was probably commissioned by William's half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. It is now in a museum in Bayeux, n France.