The Bayeux tapestry is a pictorial presentation of the Battle of 1066 between the Normans and the Saxons, and the events leading up to it. The Bayeux Tapestry is considered "one of the most precious objects to have survived from the early Middle Ages." (Bernstein 14) David J Bernstein also states that the Tapestry's fame is based on these three attributes:
"[I]t is the sole textile hanging depicting a contemporary historical subject to survive from a period when-such hangings were quite common in royal and aristocratic circles; second, the particular events and persons depicted are among the most historically significant for the whole development of European civilization; third, no work of art from the early Middle Ages is so well known and so obviously enchanting to people of all ages and backgrounds." (14)
The tapestry is 230 feet long and only 20 inches high. It is believed to have been designed to hang along the top of a wall around a room. While it is called the Bayeux Tapestry, it is actually not a tapestry at all, but an embroidery. It is made from eight separate uneven sections that were sewn together later. After completion, the tapestry was taken to Bayeux Cathedral, where it stayed for over seven centuries. It survived fire and war and was moved around until finally being restored and left to rest at the Palace of the Bishops of Bayeux in France. (Denny and Filmer-Sanky 2-3)
Works Cited
25 March 2001
Created with the help of HTML GOODIES
Contact me at [email protected]