Tapestry

While vacationing in Great Britain 10 years ago, I bought tea towels as souvenirs for the folks at home. But because I loved each one so much, I ended up keeping at least half of them. One in particular was my favorite. My daughter in law suggested that I frame it and so I did. Imagine my surprise later when browsing through a volume of Gardeners Art Through the Ages and discovering that my favorite tea towel was a copy of a famous piece of stitchery sewn shortly after 1066 and the Battle of Hastings.

I avidly read everything Gardner's had to say about my tea towel. Later, while a student of art history I choose the Bayeux Tapestry as the subject of the required term paper.

If you are not already familiar with this 230 foot long by 20 inch high piece of linen artwork then please allow me to introduce you. While it is known as a tapestry it is in reality embroidered. It was commissioned by Bishop Odo, the French half-brother of William the Conqueror. It is widely agreed that even though the Frenchman, Odo commission the work, English hands did the sewing and probably the design as well. After 900 years, this embroidery is the only remaining example of its kind. It is treasured for its historic as well as it's artistic value.

As a historic document, it is a source of information on the detail of everyday life during the medieval period. It offers a rich source of pictorial and written information about the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings. It records information about armor, boats, clothes and even the hair styles of the English vs the Norman soldiers, the appearance of Halley's Comet in the spring of 1066 and Westminster Abbey, etc.

The hand of God, pointing down towards the recently built Westminster Abbey,
symbolizes its consecration which took place on December 28, 1065.

But while the English designer followed his command from Odo to create a retelling of the events that lead to the Norman conquest of England, some art historians believe that the designer also included subtle indications that, while carrying out the letter of Odo's commission, he put an English interpretation on certain key events.

This panel shows a group of people watching Halley's Comet as it passes over London. In the following scene the appearance of the evil omen in the heavens is reported to King Harold.

The figures and designs along the borders of the Tapestry have long puzzled historians as to their exact meaning. Some believe that these mythical creatures deserve a deeper look. The artist used combinations of animals from contemporary fables of the day. These figures may have been a way for the designer to comment on the action taking place in the main field. The meaning would have been clear for the English viewer since he was familiar with the connotations connected with the fables the figures represented. For the French viewer these meanings may have meant nothing. It is not clear what these motifs are meant to portray, but it is clear that they are not decorative only.

William the Conqueror crosses the Channel with his ships and men.

It is certainly an intriguing thought that a conquered people would attempt to include their own interpretation of the event, that was to change the rule of England for the next 300 years of Norman domination, in the Tapestry that they created.

This panel depicts scenes of the battle in which King Harold's brothers are slain in
hand to hand combat. Notice the fallen men that lie in the bottom border.

Embroidered on the last panel are the words "and the English fled". Many believe that
while this is the last remaining panel, there was once a final scene showing Normans
occupying English towns while the inhabitants pay homage to William as King.

Today, you can visit the Bayeux Tapestry in the town of Bayeux in Normandy, France.