The Bayeux Tapestry [Hardcover]

Lucien Musset (Author), Richard Rex (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2005

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most extraordinary artefacts to survive from the eleventh century. A fragile web of woollen thread on linen, its brilliant colours undimmed after nearly a thousand years, this masterpiece is unique as a complete example of an art form beloved of the aristocracy in the Romanesque era - the `historiated' or narrative embroidery. The momentous story it tells is that of one of the turning-points in English and European history, the struggle for the succession to the English throne which culminated in the Battle of Hastings in the fateful year of 1066. The version told is that of the Normans who commissioned it - of Harold's perjury and its dreadful price, death and defeat in battle. Yet the sympathies of the English hands that designed and created it are equally evident. And the Tapestry itself is so close to the events it describes, and portrays them in such vivid detail, as to make it in its own right a historical source of the first order, not only for the political crisis of 1064-66 but also for the social history of eleventh-century life.This book presents a full-colour reproduction of the entire Tapestry, with a detailed commentary alongside each episode, equipping the reader to follow the story blow by blow and this marvellous work of art step by step. In addition, a preliminary study sets the Tapestry in its artistic, cultural and historical context. The late Lucien Musset, Emeritus Professor of the University of Caen, studied the Tapestry of nearby Bayeux for nearly fifty years. This erudite but highly readable survey distils a lifetime's scholarship into a wise and impeccably researched synthesis which enables the modern reader to appreciate what the Tapestry meant in the context of its time, at the start of the last millennium.

Editorial Reviews

Review

(A) strikingly illustrated book, which reproduces in colour every centimetre of the surviving embroidery. (...) Admirably balanced and informed. --Sunday Times

(Presents) a new slant, particularly the in-depth analysis of the tapestry's indebtedness to Scandinavia's weaponry, ships, and buildings. Recommended. --Choice

Handsome and very reasonably priced. Clearly aimed at the student and the general reader rather than at the specialist, it would be an attractive purchase for all three. --English Historical Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (September 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843831635
• ISBN-13: 978-1843831631
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece about a masterpiece, December 16, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Bayeux Tapestry (Hardcover)

If one cannot see the Bayeux Tapestry in person (and I have been privileged enough to have done so), this book may well be the next best thing. Beautiful, two-page spreads highlight the colour, the detail and the magnificence of the what is perhaps the most famous tapestry in the world.

The Bayeux Tapestry itself is over 70 yards long - that is long enough to be hung from the window of a twenty-story building and still be able to touch the ground. Threads of wool embroidered onto the precious linen are brilliantly transformed into a work of art - were this an abstract representation or simple story-telling device, the work would still be famous and remarkable. Yet it has the added advantage of combining unparalleled craftsmanship with a pivotal story in history - the tale of the Norman Conquest, the last successful invasion of Britain.

The story on Tapestry begins in 1064, with the English king Edward the Confessor, much loved and respected, trying to ensure a peaceful succession. The next two years would see other events transpire, ending with the death of King Harold, shot by an arrow in the Battle of Hastings. The details are fascinating, including the appearance of a comet (which turned out to be one of the periodic appearances of Halley's Comet) shortly after Harold's coronation - comets in this period were usually seen as signs of foreboding and doom, and certainly that was the case for Harold.

William the Conqueror is certainly the hero of this Tapestry, and the origins of the Tapestry are still a mystery. There are historical events throughout the Tapestry, and Musset's text looks at most of the Tapestry in 58 sections, going into great detail about what is presented in the embroidery. For example, Harold is shown dying with an arrow through the eye - history does confirm this type of death, and an early engraving of the Tapestry doesn't show the arrow wound for Harold, but given that perjurers and frauds were thought to die of wounds to the eyes, the later addition of the arrow may have been a propaganda move to help justify William's rightful claim to the throne.

Lucien Musset was a professor at the University of Caen, and had a life-long love affair with the Bayeux Tapestry, spending nearly 50 years in study and reflection. This book represents a stunning life-long labour of love, and one that is magnificent in both word and visual form. Musset's text develops historical, artistic and social themes for each of the sections, and adds a richness to the experience of surveying the Tapestry. It is not to be missed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, February 28, 2010

By 

Software Geek "Software Geek" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bayeux Tapestry (Hardcover)

This is a marvelous book on the Bayeux Tapestry. Each frame has its own page with a copy os the tapestry, the Latin original and English translation provided. A very good history of the tapestry, comparisons to other tapestries and even the type of stitch used is provided. I bought the book to prepare for a visit to the actual tapestry in 2010 and I couldn't be better pleased with it.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of Roman times examined, March 17, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bayeux Tapestry (Hardcover)

THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY could also have been featured in our history shelf; but it's reviewed here for its appeal and importance to fiber artists as well. The Tapestry is one of the most notable achievements of the Norman Romanesque period, surviving intact for over nine centuries when even cities have fallen. It was entrusted by Napoleon to the citizens of Bayeux and today is displayed in a local gallery. The history of 11th century England and Normandy is surveyed along with the artistic importance of the Tapestry in a title which doesn't intend to revolutionize the study of the piece, but to survey reliable scholarship on the subject. Chapters take a scene-by-scene approach and analyze both historical and artistic elements of the Tapestry while Richard Rex's translation provides smooth enlightenment.