Bayeux Tapestry at risk of ‘falling apart' during move to Britain
The 220ft-long depiction of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 will come to the British Museum in September next year as part of a loan deal struck between Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, the French president.
In exchange for the tapestry, Anglo-Saxon treasures of the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the 12th-century Lewis chessmen will go to France.
It marks the Bayeux Tapestry's first return to the UK in more than 900 years. The tapestry is thought to have been created in Britain, commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William the Conqueror's half-brother.
However, experts have warned that even removing the object from its display case puts it at risk, and have called for the loan to be cancelled because of the risks involved.
Michael Daley, the director of conservation watchdog ArtWatch UK, told The Telegraph: 'What's particularly concerning about moving works of art about is that they are so intrinsically vulnerable and susceptible to injuries caused by any number of possible or likely mishaps – knocks, vibrations, being dropped, fluctuations of temperature and humidity and so forth – and even of being lost altogether when sent by water or air.'
John Larson, a former head of conservation at the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, warned that the risks of moving such an historic object were serious.
Referring to his ground-breaking work in using laser scanning to record and replicate artworks, he said: 'One of the reasons I got into making copies of artworks was so they wouldn't have to travel.
'You can more or less copy anything now, even textiles… Of course, you've got all the packaging people telling you, 'don't worry'. But things do get damaged. You wouldn't get the French loaning the Mona Lisa.'
David Bates, an emeritus professor in mediaeval history at the University of East Anglia and co-author of the 2019 book The Bayeux Tapestry, said: 'I am very worried. I've always assumed, until this announcement was suddenly made, that it would be too fragile to travel.
'Its safety is the paramount consideration. If there's any serious doubt that it's not safe for it to travel, then the loan shouldn't take place.'
Selby Whittingham, a former curator of Manchester City Art Gallery, added that moving such a large and fragile work 'must put a strain' on it.
Adam Prideaux, a leading art insurance broker, said of the Bayeux loan: 'Maybe the value of joining two nations together for a moment actually outweighs some perhaps minor damage to the work?
'I don't doubt that, when it's in the British Museum, it will be the most popular exhibition ever. But it would be very interesting to know what government indemnity is doing about this, as the value will be considerable. Is government indemnity happy to take this on?'
The Bayeux Tapestry is housed in the Bayeux Museum in Normandy, which will close for a two-year renovation from September.
However, the French journal, La Tribune de l'Art, reports that various French experts are denouncing the loan of 'an object of absolute fragility', saying: 'It's a monumental idiocy to send it to England.'
They fear moving it will worsen the fragility of its extremely thin linen with tears, potentially causing threads to snap.
But others have dismissed the concerns. Julian Spalding, a former director of galleries in Glasgow, Sheffield and Manchester, said: 'Conservators emphasise the fragility of an object because that's their business. It's perfectly possible to move an object like this. You can anticipate risks in the way you pack it.'
Simon Franses, of the Franses Archive in London, an academic resource on European tapestries, figurative textiles and carpets, also played down the risks.
'There'll be no loss of the embroidery if this is rolled carefully,' he said. 'It is clearly fragile and very important, but this is an opportunity for it to be seen by a much wider audience.'
In a statement, the British Museum said: 'The British Museum has a world leading conservation and collections management team who are highly skilled and experienced at handling and caring for this type of material. They will work closely with colleagues in France to ensure the Tapestry's safety.'
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said: 'This loan is a symbol of our shared history with our friends in France.'
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