Art History

title Bayeux Tapestry culture - Romanesque Europe (English or Norman) date - 1066-1080 C.E. materials - Embroidery on linen FORM & CONTENT: 20" tall by almost 230' long! More than 600 people and 75 scenes depicted Tapestry a misnomer; actually, an embroidery Neutral background Flat figures; no shadows Fanciful beasts in upper and lower registers Borders sometimes comment on the main scenes or show scenes of everyday life (bird hunting, farming, even pornography) FUNCTION: Uncertainty over how this work was meant to be displayed, perhaps in a cathedral hung from the pillars in the nave or hung in a hall along a wall MATERIALS & PATRONAGE: Probably designed by a man; executed by women Commissioned by Bishop Odo, half-brother to William the Conqueror CONTEXT & INTERPRETATION: Tells the story (in Latin) of William's conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 Story, told from the Norman point-of-view, emphasizes the treachery of Harold of England, who breaks his vow of loyalty and betrays William by having himself crowned Narrative tradition goes back to the Column of Trajan

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