Professor Helps Shed New Light on Renowned Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry captured a pivotal moment in European history. The 230-foot-long embroidered cloth, which depicts events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and scenes from the battle iself, is renowned among scholars of medieval history, art and literature.

Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of English Dan Terkla is helping to uncover the mysteries of the Tapestry with the new book The Bayeux Tapestry: New Interpretations (Boydell & Brewer, 2009).

“History is written by the victors, and the Tapestry is a great piece of public relations,” said Terkla, who co-edited the collection of essays for the book, and contributed his own chapter. In the case of the Bayeux Tapestry, the victor was William of Normandy, who defeated King Harold I of England at the Battle of Hastings.

Thought to be embroidered around 1068, the Tapestry tells the story of how William the Conqueror ascended to the throne of England as the rightful king, and portrays Harold as a usurper.

Bayeux Tapestry Cover

Edited by Terkla, Martin Foys and Karen Eileen Overbey, the book is a collection from a combination of well-established scholars and voices new to Tapestry studies, said Terkla. “We truly hope to live up to the title of the book, New Interpretations,” he said.

“Not only does the book take a multi-disciplinary approach, with scholars from fields ranging from history to art to Anglo-Saxon studies contributing, but its particular mix of seasoned and young scholars can provide a new perspective.”

Terkla’s chapter, titled “From Hastingus to Hastings and Beyond: Inexorable Inevitability on the Bayeux Tapestry,” situates the Norman invasion of 1066 in a context that reaches back to the first Viking ruler in Normandy, Hastingus, forward to William and the Norman invasion, and beyond to the broader history of Norman conquests.

Setting the Tapestry in this broad context causes one to wonder, as Terkla does, “Did Hastingus’s presence in Normandy set into motion an inevitable link that runs all the way to William?” He argues that the Tapestry’s design creates a sense of historical inevitability through its use of line.

Read complete article in IWU.edu

Tapestry-Tastic Exhibition at An Lanntair

TAPESTRY has never gone away, but the new An Lanntair exhibition – Suas leis an Oir-Ghreus! (Long Live Tapestry!) – is still pitched as something of a revival.
And Suas leis an Oir-Ghreus was in fact first shown as 'Vive le Tapisserie!' at the French Institute in Edinburgh last year – proving in its own way that tapestry is something of an international language.

The exhibition comprises of four miniatures, each created by 17 of Scotland's leading tapestry artists.

Archie Brenna, Sara Brennan, Amanda Gizzi, Linda Green, Alice Hannigan, Maureen Hodge, Stephen Hunter, Fiona Hutchison, William Jefferies, Ellen Lenvik, Brigitta MacDonald, Jo McDonald, Susan Mowatt, Colin Parker, Paul R Penrice, Anna Ray and Joanne Soroka are all members of the newly formed group STAR (Scottish Tapestry Artists Re-Grouped); and graduates of the tapestry department of Edinburgh College of Art.

Read complete article in StornowayGazette.co.uk

Hand-Stitched Tapestry That Weaves Tales Of Medieval Life Goes On Display In New Ross

THE STATE’s newest tourist attraction was unveiled yesterday when the Ross Tapestry went on public display in the Co Wexford port town of New Ross.

Organisers of the permanent exhibition predict that the series of elaborate, hand-stitched tapestries depicting scenes of Irish medieval life will attract 60,000 visitors in year one.

Work on Europe’s biggest embroidery project began in 1998. For the past decade, more than 100 volunteers, from Co Wexford and neighbouring counties, have created 15 large, 6ft by 4ft, needlework panels which record the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and its aftermath.

The exquisitely coloured, intricate tapestries include Arrogant Trespass: The Normans Landing at Bannow – a reference to the nearby strand where the invasion by 30 knights and 360 soldiers in 1169 led to 800 years of British rule in Ireland.

The Ross Tapestry is based on original paintings by Countess Ann Griffin Bernstorff, the Limerick-born artist who married a Danish aristocrat and settled on a farm in Co Wexford.

Yesterday, she praised volunteers who had devoted “thousands of hours and millions of stitches” and said, “we turned on a switch in the community and they responded”.

She explained that the original idea for the project had come from a Church of Ireland rector, Paul Mooney, who has since moved to Malaysia.

Project chairman Seán Reidy hailed “a world-class work of art” created by “the best example of volunteerism that Ireland will ever see”.

He thanked patrons, who include financier Dermot Desmond, newspaper magnate Tony O’Reilly and AIB’s Gerry Murtagh, for each making personal contributions of “significant five-figure sums”.

He also revealed that the project has attracted the attention of former US ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy-Smith who was “completely blown away by it”. She has asked that at least some of the tapestries be temporarily shipped to Washington in 2011 for celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of John F Kennedy’s inauguration.

The late president’s great-great-grandfather emigrated from the town and the Kennedy family maintains strong links with New Ross.

Yesterday’s opening was a low-key affair, with pride of place given to the volunteer embroiderers who expressed delight and pride at seeing their work hung permanently for the first time.

Mary Maher, a former secretary who had “stitched for two mornings a week” said it was “a fantastic achievement and brilliant to see on permanent display”.

All the embroiderers were women except John Ronan whose “wife encouraged me to have a go”. He was “uncomfortable in the beginning with all the women” but drew inspiration from his grandfather, “a tailor who had stitched his way into the fabric of the town”. Mr Ronan decided to “do the same” and yesterday said, “I’m so proud.”

Seán Connick, the local Fianna Fáil TD and a director of the project, was given a tour of the exhibition by Countess Bernstorff.

Afterwards, his “heart was thumping with pride” and he said, “This is what the community and the people of Ireland are capable of.”

The permanent exhibition is open to the public, seven days a week, from today at Priory Court, The Quay, New Ross.

A Fáilte Ireland spokesman said the exhibition was “destined to become a must-see attraction in Ireland”.

Taken From IrishTimes.com

The Ladies of Camelot Medieval Tapestry

Men are the usual images present in medieval tapestry, which makes the tapestry "The Ladies in Camelot" a refreshing break from all the depictions of battles and knights. Popular medieval tapestries are depictions of knights and their quests and their battles.

Two popular tapestry series revolve on this theme, namely "The Hunt of the Unicorn" and the William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones creation, the Holy Grail tapestry. The women in the backdrop of the journeys and the battles of the knights, however, are mostly overlooked.

"The Ladies in Camelot", an elegant display of the beauty of the Arthurian legend is just a manifestation and a proof the women and ladies in Camelot are a major presence and play an important role in medieval tapestries.

Women figured largely on several medieval tapestries. It is important to note that while there were no women in the popular work, "The Hunt of the Unicorn", the presence of a maiden or a virgin figured largely in various interpretations of this piece. According to various pagan interpretations, this series alludes to the doomed love affair of two medieval lovers.

In medieval tapestries figuring of King Arthur, the presence of the ladies of Camelot can be boldly noted. These are perhaps one of the more noted depictions of women in medieval tapestry, since most of the known medieval tapestry pieces are European landscapes, knights, and battles.

The image of Guinevere is among the most prominent in these Arthurian tapestries and of the ladies of Camelot. Guinevere was King Arthur's queen consort and was famous for her affair with Sir Lancelot, Arthur's chief knight. Their affair is the cause of King Arthur's downfall, although the king did not realize the affair for some time.

The tapestry "The Ladies of Camelot" shows Guinevere in the woods with other women of Camelot. It is an elaborate piece that shows the beauty of the Arthurian legend, emphasizing the color and intrigue present in the story.

A popular Morris tapestry piece is "Queen Guinevere". Morris is responsible for several Arthurian tapestries in existence today. In fact, Arthurian legends were one of the staples in his company, Morris & Co, which is responsible for resurrecting the interest of the people in medieval tapestry.

Guinevere and the ladies of Camelot are present in several Arthurian tapestries. In two tapestries in the series-Arming and Departure for the Quest and Departure from Camelot the women of Camelot, including Guinevere, can be seen helping the knights.

In another popular tapestry, King Arthur, the king, holding his sword Excalibur with his shield Prydwen laid in from of him, was with Sir Lancelot and Guinevere. Other King Arthur tapestry has the presence of the ladies of Camelot and Guinevere, mostly those that concerns the events happening in the castle itself, such as The King's Court, The Royal Joust, and The Tournament at Camelot.

The Medieval Tapestry, The Ladies of Camelot is woven in France and does make a beautiful statement in wall decor for fine woven goods. Other exciting days of romance and glory come from the educational and fun, Medieval Tapestry Collection.