Bayeux tapestry move ‘at risk’ due to UK potholes
The high-profile loan of the Bayeux tapestry to the British Museum risks damaging the ancient relic due to the state of roads in England, according to reports.
French environmentalists have lodged a legal challenge to plans backed by Emmanuel Macron to move the priceless 11th-century artefact from Bayeux in Normandy, France, where it has been displayed for centuries, to be displayed at the British Museum as part of a nine-month exhibition.
In the documents he saw TelegramEnvironmentalists have reportedly warned of the “vibrations and shocks” the particularly fragile relic will encounter on its journey to London.
According to the report, experts from French heritage group Sites and Monuments said shocks and bumps, including potholes, on roads can create vibrations that risk tearing fabric apart. They also warn that the French president made an “error of judgement” in his decision to move the tapestry to the UK, citing “breaks in the load, a defect in the track (sudden change of level, hole in the surface, etc.)” in a 2022 report as “examples of sources of shock” that could lead to damage to the work.
The chairman of the group said: “If [the roads] Their situation is bad, of course this is not a good thing.”
He added: “The risks are those associated with carpeting and vibrations during a long journey. These should be limited to a minimum.”
The 70-metre-tall medieval work is said to have been insured by the UK government for £800 million over the course of the loan. However, the move raised concerns from art critics and preservationists due to the fragile condition of the tapestry.
David Hockney, one of Britain’s greatest painters, had previously criticized plans to move the fragile 1,000-year-old work as “madness” and “too big a risk to take”.
“Why does a London museum that prides itself on preserving and preserving great art want to gamble on the survival of the most important artistic image in Europe?” he asked. “It’s crazy. I’m not afraid to speak up for art. It’s something that has defined my life for over eighty years.”
Just IndependentHe warned that any movement of the wool embroidery threads in the residue put it in danger of “tearing, loss of stitching and degradation of the fabric”.
More than 77,000 signatures were collected for a petition launched by art historian Didier Rykner in August protesting the decision to move the work to the United Kingdom.
At the time, the British Museum said its conservation and collections management team was experienced in the handling and care of such material and was working with colleagues in France on displaying the tapestry.
