"A new study offers a fresh way of thinking about one of the most famous works of medieval art by asking a deceptively simple question: where was the Bayeux Tapestry originally meant to be seen? Rather than assuming it was designed for display in a cathedral or a secular hall, the research suggests that the famous embroidery may instead have been created for a monastic refectory, where it could be viewed and interpreted during communal meals."
"The Bayeux Tapestry is a unique piece of medieval embroidery measuring around 68 metres in length and weighing approximately 350 kilograms. It famously depicts the events leading up to and including the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, when William of Normandy defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. Despite its fame, however, fundamental questions remain unresolved, including where the tapestry was originally displayed and how medieval viewers engaged with it."
The Bayeux Tapestry measures around 68 metres and weighs approximately 350 kilograms, portraying events of the 1066 Norman Conquest. Longstanding assumptions placed its original display in Bayeux Cathedral, based on a 1476 inventory and the prominent depiction of Odo, bishop of Bayeux and earl of Kent. Attempts have tried to match the tapestry's length to reconstructions of a cathedral nave. Practical and visual difficulties arise when hanging such a large, heavy textile in a Romanesque cathedral, where naves were interrupted by arcades. The refectory walls at St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury offer a convincing setting for communal viewing and interpretation during meals.
Read at Medievalists.net
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