A petition opposing the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum has collected over 64,000 signatures, calling on French President Emmanuel Macron to heed expert warnings against moving the fragile relic.
Experts who have worked with the nearly 1,000-year-old tapestry warn that transporting it would be “catastrophic” and cause irreparable damage. The 70-metre-long medieval artefact, depicting William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, has never been housed in the UK. President Macron announced in July that it would be loaned from September next year.
The petition, organised by Didier Rykner, editorial director of La Tribune de l’Art, stated that Macron had taken a “catastrophic decision” against the advice of conservators and restorers. Rykner told The Guardian: “This is a purely political decision. Expert opinion agrees, overwhelmingly, that it cannot travel.”
Expert reports from 2021 and 2022 advised against moving the tapestry, citing its fragility. A 2020 inspection identified around 24,200 stains and 10,000 holes. The Bayeux Museum said it had developed engineering solutions for delicate handling, but in 2018 chief curator Antoine Verney said he “could not conceive” of it being transported given its condition.
Previous requests for the tapestry to be loaned to the UK, for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 and the Battle of Hastings anniversary in 1966, were rejected. Rykner noted that the last two moves were by Napoleon and the Nazis. British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan praised the opportunity, stating the museum’s team is experienced in handling such materials.
