The Bayeux Tapestry: A 1,000-Year-Old Masterpiece at the British Museum

Rarely does a 1,000-year-old object inspire people to this extent. The exhibition in the British Museum was a real blockbuster even before it officially opened - the first few weeks were sold out.

We are talking about a 70 meter long carpet made of white linen, 50 centimeters high, embroidered with dyed wool. Motifs illustrating the prehistory and conquest of England by the Normans and the decisive battle of 1066 - a key date in English history.

Horrible details of the war

It's about power, a broken oath and the rivalry between two men: there is the Norman William the Conqueror and the Anglo-Saxon nobleman Harold. "In a very famous scene, Harold takes the oath in the presence of William. Harold reaches out and touches two reliquaries," explains curator Lloyd de Beer.

But the vow doesn't last long. You can see the crossing of the soldiers from what is now France to the south coast of England - the battle with the terrible details of the war. And finally the death of Harold, who - probably - died from an arrow. The way was now clear for William the Conqueror to ascend the English throne.

On loan from France

Last week King Charles III visited. the exhibition with French President Emmanuel Macron. The carpet is on loan from the French state and was exhibited in England for the first time.

The carpet tells a story that most people in Britain know, the king said. And above all, he himself knows this story very well. After all, he is related to William the Conqueror.

Not much is known about the carpet and the history of its creation. “We don’t know exactly who embroidered the carpet,” says de Beer. "We assume they were women because one source says that English women were internationally famous for their skill."

The carpet has imitators

A visit to Mia Hannson in Peterborough, eastern England, illustrates what the work may have looked like: the artist kneels on the floor and embroiders the last meters of a copy of the famous work. She has been working on it for almost ten years now.

She saw the original carpet for the first time in France in 2005 and was blown away. “My idea was to take on a long project,” she says. "I love embroidery, that's what excites me. But it's this rather simple style."

Mia Hannson uses photos as a template and works with the same technology as 1,000 years ago. "There are a million horses here - but not two are the same. You can't make a template. It goes down to the details, for example the hooves."

Mia Hannson wants to finish the project next year. She's thinking about a sequel. Because the last three meters of the carpet were lost. Wilhelm's coronation was probably shown there. Mia Hannson now wants to design this piece herself - part two, so to speak.