The Bayeux Tapestry, a priceless Medieval artwork, has arrived at the British Museum in London after a high-tech, tight-security operation. The 70-meter tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, was loaned from its home in France and will be on display from September 10 until July 2027.

A Symbol of Anglo-French Relations

The tapestry is a symbol of the sometimes fractious, intertwined histories of France and Britain. It was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half-brother, and was probably sewn by women in England, possibly nuns, before being taken across the Channel.

The tapestry’s arrival in London has been widely anticipated, but due to security concerns, all details of when and how it would arrive were kept under wraps. British Museum Director Nicholas Cullinan said, “It feels extraordinary that after so much work and planning and care and thought that it’s actually happening.”

A Vivid Record of 11th Century Life and Death

The tapestry features 627 people and 737 animals and tells its story in 58 scenes brimming with vivid and sometimes gory detail. It has an emotional richness that is really difficult to get from written sources, according to Millie Horton-Insch, project curator for the British Museum exhibition.

The tapestry’s survival for 10 centuries despite myriad dangers is miraculous, and may be partly due to its humble materials. It is stitched in wool thread on linen fabric and has spent most of the last millennium in the town of Bayeux in northwest France, apart from two short periods at the Louvre in Paris.

Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.