"One of the most iconic pieces of art ever produced in the UK," in the words of Britain's culture secretary, will return to the country after nearly a millennium spent abroad. The legendary Bayeux Tapestry—a nearly 230-foot-long embroidered artwork depicting the Norman Conquest of England in 1066—will be displayed in the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027. News of the loan was announced Tuesday as part of French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the UK, reports the New York Times.
The tapestry, which illustrates the Battle of Hastings and William the Conqueror's rise to the English throne (the BBC points out 2027 represents the 1,000th anniversary of his birth), has spent most of its existence in France. It is thought to have been made in Kent, England, in the 11th century and was likely commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William's half-brother. Over the years, the tapestry faced multiple threats, including being nearly repurposed as a cover for ammunition wagons during the French Revolution.
French officials first proposed the loan in 2018, but preparing the fragile artifact for transport from the museum in Bayeux where it is held took years. British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the loan "a symbol of our shared history with our friends in France, a relationship built over centuries and one that continues to endure." As part of the exchange, Britain will loan significant artifacts to Normandy, including items from the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon burial ground and the Lewis Chessmen, which the AP describes as "mysterious medieval chess pieces carved from walrus tusks and whales' teeth" that were found on Scotland's Isle of Lewis.
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The Guardian has these lines from Macron's Tuesday night speech: "For the first time in 900 years the Bayeux tapestry will follow the same path as the warriors whose stories it tells and land on British soil. Either they were never made or they were lost—those final scenes of the tapestry are missing. I see that as (an) even more powerful symbol in the great mural of Franco-British history, the end has yet to be written."
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