Bayeux tapestry arrives in London in overnight operation
Hushed-up operation was result of negotiations to ensure integrity of 1,000-yr-old artwork
London: In the dead of night on Friday, a large yellow truck led by a police escort made its way through the empty streets of London. Unbeknownst to late night stragglers, it was carrying a 1,000-year-old masterpiece: the Bayeux Tapestry.
The hushed-up, nighttime operation was the result of years of negotiations, tricky logistical planning and multiple technical studies to ensure the integrity of the medieval artwork.
Fears for the safety of the lace-like delicate tapestry, which has been insured by the British government for an eye-watering 800 million pounds (over $1 billion), meant that the date and details of the transfer were kept under wraps until the last moment.
It is believed to be the first time the 68-metre (224-foot) embroidered tapestry has left France in more than 900 years, and the first time it has been moved in over 40 years.
But after two test trips with a full-sized reproduction of the tapestry, the operation appeared a well-oiled machine.
“It’s been a huge amount of work for my colleagues here at the museum and in France. So, I think we’ll all be very relieved to see it arrive safely,” project curator Millie Horton-Insch told AFP as she awaited the tapestry.
What is the Bayeux Tapestry?
An 11th-century masterpiece: The Bayeux Tapestry is nearly 1,000 years old and is one of the world’s most famous surviving medieval artworks.
Not actually a tapestry: Despite its name, it is an embroidered linen cloth stitched with coloured wool rather than a woven tapestry.
Tells the story of 1066: It chronicles the events leading up to and including the Battle of Hastings, when William the Conqueror defeated King Harold II and became King of England.
A remarkable size: Measuring about 68 metres (224 feet) long, it is illustrated with scenes of battles, ships, soldiers, horses and everyday medieval life.
Historical record: Historians regard it as one of the most important visual records of medieval Europe and the Norman Conquest of England.
Home in France: The embroidery has been housed for centuries in the Normandy town of Bayeux, where it is normally displayed in a dedicated museum.
Rare overseas loan: The exhibition at the British Museum marks the first time the Bayeux Tapestry has been displayed in the UK.
Highly valuable and fragile: Estimated to be worth about £800 million ($1.1 billion), it requires specialised climate-controlled transport and conservation because of its extreme age and delicate condition.
The artwork, which chronicles scenes from the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the start of the Norman Conquest of England, was held in a shock-proof and temperature controlled case to protect the delicate embroidery.
The truck carrying the tapestry left its home in northern France on Thursday night, arriving at the British Museum just before 3:00 am.
As it backed into a gate at the rear of the empty museum, the truck was greeted by a handful of staff and a small media contingent including AFP journalists.
“I’ve never been so excited to see a gate open,” someone said, as others filmed the truck opening up to reveal the metal container.
‘Unique’
British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan and French ambassador to the UK Helene Duchene posed for photos, as those travelling in the convoy shook hands with museum staff wearing hi-vis vests.
“It’s a unique moment,” Cullinan told AFP after the tapestry arrived.
As the hulking metal cage, weighing more than a tonne, was lowered from the truck and wheeled into the museum, the gathering burst into applause.
The tapestry is now expected to remain in its case for a “few days” to acclimitise and “rest after its long journey”, explained Horton-Insch.
“After which it will be unpacked, mounted, a full condition check will take place and then it will be put within its showcase,” in time for the exhibition to open on September 10, said the curator.
The exhibition, which will run until July 2027, has generated record-breaking enthusiasm, with the museum selling out 100,000 tickets for the first four months of the show.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who promised the tapestry in a loan one year ago, hailed what France and Britain “can achieve when they join forces”, in an article in The Times newspaper.
While its exact origins are shrouded in mystery, the tapestry depicting the start of the invasion by William the Conqueror’s Norman army is widely thought to have been made in England before being transferred to Bayeux.
“This is really about bringing two countries with this incredible showcase together to collaborate,” Cullinan said, acknowledging the role of the tapestry as a “supreme work of art within French culture”.
“In some ways, you could say it feels like it’s come home. But then it will be going truly home next year, when it returns back to Bayeux.”
