The Bayeux Tapestry: celebrating the landmark British Museum exhibition

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most significant surviving objects in European history. This book celebrates its unique loan to the British Museum and will be the essential volume about the Tapestry for generations to come.

The Bayeux Tapestry is a unique historical artwork almost 70 metres long, which tells the story of the events leading to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy. Its account of the eleventh century in England and France is like no other, revealing details from civil and military architecture to armour, seafaring and everyday life. Featuring a full-colour reproduction of the Tapestry, this beautiful new book allows the reader to follow the narrative visually, while texts from international experts unpick the importance of the work in understanding this pivotal point in European history.

The latest research into the Tapestry is presented across five chapters that explore its patronage, design and production, its status as an iconic work of art, and its depictions of daily life. Focused profiles woven throughout introduce key figures from the world of the Tapestry, offering moments of personal connection within the sweeping story.

This publication marks the historic moment of the loan of the Tapestry to the British Museum, the first time it has been displayed outside of France in almost 1,000 years.