Bayeux Tapestry exhibited in England for the first time in 1,000 years, partially damaged during transportation

After 1,000 years, ‘artworks’ main stage’ to be exhibited in the UK

(Berlin = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Gye-yeon = The French government announced on the 4th (local time) that the Bayeux Tapestry, a French medieval treasure, was partially damaged while being transported to London, England, in July for a rental exhibition.

French Culture Minister Catherine Pegar told RTL on this day, "It took a lot of time for experts to carefully examine every centimeter," and added, "It was reported that two threads of the 70-meter-long tapestry were broken."

Minister Pegar said that the damage was not serious, saying, “It would not be wrong to say that even after arriving in London, it was in the same condition as when it left Bayeux.”

The Bayeux Tapestry, believed to have been produced in the late 11th century, is a 68.58m long embroidery work depicting the conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy, known as the ‘King of Conqueror.’ According to the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, 626 people, 37 buildings, 41 ships, and 202 horses and mules appear in 58 scenes. Bayeux is the name of the Normandy region in France where this work is stored.

The Bayeux Tapestry will be on display at the British Museum from the 10th. Almost 1,000 years after its creation, it attracted attention with an exhibition held in England, the main stage of the work. Of the 58 scenes in the work, 33 depict events that took place in England.

The French government and the British Museum agreed to transport the work with vibrations kept below 2 mm per second to protect the work, which is extremely vulnerable to external stimulation. The British Treasury guaranteed compensation of 800 million pounds (about 1.46 trillion won) in case of damage or loss.

The first request from Britain to lend the Bayeux Tapestry was in 1931. Experts opposed it for fear of damage, but President Macron promised to lend it.

President Macron visited the British Museum on the 2nd and toured works of art with King Charles III and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Seemingly aware of experts' warnings, he quoted the 19th-century British poet and critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge and said, "I chose 'voluntary suspension of disbelief.'"

German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) commented on the controversy surrounding the rental of the work, saying, "By the time the work returns to Bayeux in July next year, Macron will no longer be president." Macron, who served two five-year terms as president, cannot run in the next presidential election due to the three-term limit and will leave office in May next year.