A New French Study Says It Is Safe to Ship the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum
A French Culture Ministry report presented on Wednesday said it is safe to transport the 230-foot-long Bayeux Tapestry to the UK for a British Museum exhibition opening in July, according to ARTnews citing Le Monde. The 11th-century embroidery, which depicts William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and is listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, was previously assessed in 2021 as having 24,000 stains, 16,445 creases, nearly 10,000 areas of damage, and about 30 tears; a petition opposing the move gathered nearly 80,000 signatures. The report said vibration risks were reduced by 96% with expert input, and the tapestry will travel in a custom 1.6-ton climate-controlled crate suspended by 12 shock absorbers; test runs with a full-size replica were conducted, including a secret February dry run and a public April run, with another rehearsal planned shortly before departure. The British government set aside about £1.2 million ($1.6 million) for transport, while the British Museum plans tickets priced around $32–$45, with Le Monde estimating potential ticket revenue above $11.6 million; 16 French and British conservators will inspect the work for three weeks after arrival.
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This story was covered in Biennial Blowups and Gallery Model Meltdowns