A British Museum curator has revealed the Bayeux Tapestry will never be hung up again since it is too fragile. During its temporary residence in London, the 230-foot artwork, which dates back to the 11th century, has been lying flat in a display case.
Anyone who saw the ancient artwork hanging in Normandy was the last to ever see it displayed on a wall, said Lloyd de Beer, a curator overseeing the London exhibition. He said experts have been pushing for it to be laid flat for a decade.
Last time in our lifetimes
"If you saw the Bayeux hanging, that's the last time in our lifetimes you will ever see it like that again. It will only ever be shown flat or at an angle, depending on the conservation requirements of the object," he told an audience at the Cheltenham Literary Festival.
The 230-foot artwork tells the story of the lead-up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and it has been temporarily loaned to the British Museum in London until July next year, in a landmark agreement with the French Government.
Conservation concerns
The artwork was first hung in Normandy in 1983, but Mr de Beer said curators had long been pushing for it to be laid flat, since it was the "very best thing we can do" to preserve it, speaking to The Telegraph. An angular case is now being developed for its display back in France.
He said: "From a public point of view, that's more challenging, so any museum is always trying to gauge what the risks are to an object. So the decision has been taken that when it goes back, it will be displayed at an angle. Whether that means forever and ever, who knows. But certainly in the foreseeable future and for our generation, that's the last time you would see it hung."
Exhibition challenges
The delicate artwork was transported to the UK in a climate-controlled lorry, with riot police and a helicopter ensuring its safe transfer, and it is subject to strict light-exposure rules. Despite being worried about the flat display in London, he said "you can get closer to it than ever before, and the lighting is so beautiful".
The exhibition got off to a rocky start after ticketed visitors waited for hours in queues, while some were turned away. In response, the museum provided seating for those waiting in line and extended the exhibition's opening hours. It also provided audio tours after Yusuf Ali Osman, a blind man, filed a legal complaint accusing the museum of breaching the Equality Act of 2010 by failing to provide them. More tickets will be released next week.
