Publié
Mis à jour
Reading time: 2min – video: 3min
The Ministry of Culture gave the green light, Wednesday June 3, to the transfer of a mythical masterpiece of the Middle Ages. The Bayeux Tapestry will cross the Channel, and will be exceptionally exhibited at the British Museum in London from next September. It will leave France for the first time in its history.
This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.
It is the story of a betrayal, of a broken oath between two men. On one side, William, Duke of Normandy. On the other, Harold, Earl of Wessex. Between them, a mortal struggle for the crown of England. This story is the one told by the Bayeux tapestry, an exceptional work, created a few years after the conquest of William the Conqueror.
He was crowned king on Christmas Day 1066 in Westminster Abbey. The tapestry is 70 meters long. It is made of a large linen canvas on which 11th century artisans embroidered an epic with woolen threads. When you get closer, you can see the threads of ten different colors. The meticulous work undoubtedly mobilized dozens of people. The tapestry has stood the test of time, narrowly escaping destruction during the French Revolution. But it shows its age: almost 1,000 years. Up close, we can see that it has been torn and patched in several places. There are holes, seams, the fibers are tired. This wear makes transport particularly complex.
According to some scientists, the operation is not without risk. But what is the story told by the tapestry? The story begins in 1064. The old king of England, Edward the Confessor, had no children. In the first scene, he orders Count Harold, recognizable by his mustache, to go to Normandy to announce to Duke William that he is making him his heir. Harold crosses the Channel and quickly fraternizes with Guillaume. They go together to Mont Saint-Michel, represented here by a church perched on the rock.
In the scene, Harold, on the right, ends up taking the oath on the holy relics to William, seated on the left. He promises to help her obtain the crown of England. But the beautiful friendship will be shattered. When he returns to England, King Edward dies, and the barons offer the crown to Harold. They renounce his oath and ascend the throne. It is here that one of the most astonishing details of the Bayeux tapestry appears: a large shooting star has been carefully embroidered, as if it were passing through the sky. His appearance astonished contemporaries.
We now know that the shooting star really existed. It is in fact Halley’s Comet, which appeared in April 1066. In Normandy, when William heard the news of Harold’s coronation, he launched a major military expedition. Several hundred ships crossed the Channel, and landed an army of 7,000 men and 2,000 horses. The decisive battle took place at Hastings, on October 14, 1066. This scene is decisive: we see Harold hit in the eye by an arrow. Without a leader, his troops disbanded, and William won the battle.
Thus ends the story of the tapestry. William’s coronation has disappeared with the last two meters missing from the tapestry. One of the mysteries of this fragile work of art, unique in the world, which weaves a historical link between France and England.
Bayeux Tapestry
Wikipedia
Bayeux Museum
Ensicaen
Images of the tapestry: City of Bayeux, DRAC Normandy, University of Caen Normandy, EnsiCaen
Numérisation 3D de la tapisserie : CNRS, S.Le Mouélic/LPG/Nantes-Université
Non-exhaustive list
