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Saturday, December 11, 2021

The Tapestry of Bayeux

 


The first time we were in Bretagne, no one wanted to see the Tapestry of Bayeux. The second time we were in Bretagne, no one wanted to see the Tapestry of Bayeux. This time, I insisted to see it.

William the Bastard became King William the Conqueror when he crossed the English Channel and shot King Harold in the eye. I first read about King William the Conqueror in my school history textbook. Back then, I was told that his wife, Queen Matilda, organised her court ladies to embroider a 70m long tapestry of the conquest.

The truth is nowhere so romantic. The piece was commissioned by King William the Conqueror's brother, who despite being a Bishop Odo of Bayeux, also participated in the conquest. He carried a club instead of a sword because men of the church should not carry swords. I don't see how the club is different, though. Instead of cutting people in half, you smash them into a pulp. Same difference, no? The Bishop Odo made monks produce the tapestry.

Once you enter the museum, you are given an audioguide which will tell you the entire story from Frame 1 to Frame End. It is like watching an exciting cartoon. The whole tapestry rationalises the decision to conquer England. Apparently, King Edward of England promised William the Bastard, the throne of England. King Harold usurped William's rightful throne. Hence, William the Bastard had every right to invade England to take what was his. This part of the story was not in my history book. My version of the story was of a jerk who came out of nowhere to subjugate the British Isles.

In essence, the Tapestry of Bayeux is a masterful exercise in propaganda.

Oh well... whatever the truth, this tapestry is almost a 1000 years old. I was thrilled to have seen it till The Husband popped my bubble. He said, "Is this all? The workmanship is crude. In the same time period, the Song Dynasty in China produced finer pieces.

Disbelieving, I went to google. It is true. Chinese embroidery was already very mature in the 11th century. Here is an example of Song Dynasty embroidery produced by women: click HERE.


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