Historic Arrival at the British Museum
The Bayeux tapestry, a 70-metre-long (230ft) medieval embroidery, arrived at the British Museum in the early hours of Friday morning, marking its first return to England in nearly 1,000 years. Unloaded from a large yellow lorry to a hushed audience of staff and diplomats, the tapestry is now in its country of origin for the first time since it was created in the 11th century.
Complex Transportation Engineering
Transporting the fragile artwork required sophisticated engineering. The tapestry was first removed from display at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy, France, and mounted on a folding screen called a paravent, which was then padded. According to Prof Michael Lewis, curator of the Bayeux tapestry exhibition at the British Museum, “The tapestry is essentially folded back on itself in a concertina-type way.”
The transportation system involved an inner crate built around the paravent, with a second outer crate composed of wire-rope isolators to tackle shocks and vibrations, and an aluminium frame. Temperature and humidity were carefully controlled throughout the journey. To ensure safety, experts carried out two dry runs earlier this year. “We had two previous tests: one that just came over the Channel with another paravent which had a kind of replica tapestry inside … and then one that did the whole trip to the British Museum,” Lewis said. “And the purpose of that was to monitor the vibration levels on the tapestry.”
Display Conditions and Conservation
Once on display, the tapestry will be housed in a custom-made case, believed to be the longest ever constructed, with temperature and humidity again carefully controlled. The Bayeux Tapestry Museum, which has loaned the embroidery while its own museum undergoes renovation, notes that light, dust, insects, mould, and temperature changes are among the factors that can imperil the work. Lewis noted the work would be shown under low light levels, exposed to a limited number of hours of light per day. When visitors are not present, the lights will be turned off and the case covered.
Future Scientific Analyses
The removal of the tapestry from its previous casing has opened up the opportunity for fresh scientific analyses. While non-invasive techniques have been possible while it was on display, its materials can now be studied up close for the first time since the early 1980s. Lewis said such studies would only take place when the tapestry returns to France next year, where it is expected to undergo restoration work. Possible research includes investigating whether the linen cloth is made from flax, gleaning insights into the type of sheep the wool came from, and identifying different batches of dyed wool in the embroidery. “That might help us understand the phases through which the Bayeux tapestry was produced,” he said, noting that such studies – together with analyses of the stitching itself – could help resolve whether the nine pieces of linen that comprise the work were made in the same workshop or not. “There’s lots of science that potentially could be done,” said Lewis. “It’s not going to happen in London, but it’s something that we’re thinking about for the future as well.”
