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Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition Brings Medieval Battle Scenes to London

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • The 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry is going on display in London for the first time outside France, with initial tickets selling out within hours.
  • The embroidery depicts the events leading to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman defeat of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II.
  • Organizers expect visitors to be struck by its 70-meter length and its depiction of the brutality of medieval warfare.

The Bayeux Tapestry is about to confront London visitors with both the scale and the brutality of medieval warfare. The 1,000-year-old embroidery stretches 70 meters, a size curator Millie Horton-Insch said still astonishes her each time she sees it.

The exhibition opens at the British Museum on Thursday after King Charles and French President Emmanuel Macron viewed the work last week. It tells the story of the events leading to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman defeat of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II in 1066, when William I conquered England.

No matter how many times I see it, I'm still blown away by its size.

· Millie Horton-InschThe Bayeux Tapestry exhibition curator described the impact of the embroidery’s 70-meter length.

Thought to have been stitched in Kent, the tapestry later crossed the Channel. Its loan to Britain marks the first time it has been exhibited outside France. The show has already generated intense interest in its place in English history. Initial tickets for the nine-month exhibition sold out within hours, producing £2.5 million in sales. Another batch will go on sale in October.

We see an incredible battle that really doesn't shy away from the brutal reality of medieval warfare and how devastating it was for both sides.

· Millie Horton-InschThe curator explained how the tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings.

Horton-Insch said the scenes do not hide the devastation of battle for either side. She also said modern audiences may struggle to imagine the thousands of hours English seamstresses needed to spin the wool, produce natural dyes and weave the work.

The tapestry arrived in Britain in July in an air-conditioned, anti-vibration crate under police escort from France. Horton-Insch said it appeared to have survived the journey extremely well. The loan has also been viewed as a sign of closer ties between Britain and France after tensions linked to the 2016 Brexit vote. Macron described art as a way to show “what humanity is capable of creating”.

what humanity is capable of creating

· Emmanuel MacronThe French president referred to art’s unifying role during the exhibition loan.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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