"Propaganda
on cloth"
(probably late 11th c). Not properly a tapestry but a
strip of linen 231 ft (70.4 m.) long and 20 ins (50.8
cm.) deep embroidered in coloured wools. It represents
events in the life of Harold of England and the Norman
Conquest (1066) in a series of scenes which are
supplemented by a Latin commentary and decorative
borders depicting, e.g. scenes from tables and everyday
life. First mentioned (1476) in an inventory of Bayeux
cathedral, where it was used occasionally to decorate
the nave. It was probably commissioned by Odo, bishop of
Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror, but
whether it is of Norman or Saxon design is uncertain; a
totally unfounded tradition connects Mathilda, William
the Conqueror's queen, with the B. t. It is the only
work of its kind which survives and is now exhibited in
Bayeux.
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