Story of the illustrations History is.. Walking to Waltham Abbey History in stitches |
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This is a scaled-down, image of the 5 metre tapestry design It has been split into 6 sections to make it easier to display on the web. Design: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 And this is what it looks like after all the nimble fingers have been at work:
The panel shows Harald on the long beach at
Scarborough while bands of warriors go into action. King Harald is not dressed
for war. He is pointing at what he wants done. After a few weeks of travel it is
time to let his lieutenants take their men ashore for some raiding.
Understanding the imagesThe images within the tapestry are designed to tell a story. They are not just pictures - What you see is supposed to convey a message. The images, gestures and positions are all there to help the narrative.
Since the tapestry is silent, it is necessary to load a lot of meaning onto the figures:
When you watch a silent, black and white movie you see a very different style of acting. Actions are exaggerated. The old movies give you lots of clues so you find the good guy always wears a white hat. These images are icons. IconsSo do not look for realism in the tapestry. You need to interpret the images – Perhaps follow the direction of their gaze or look to where a finger or sword is pointing. To add extra dimensions to the story in the tapestry, there are margins running along the top and the bottom of the main panels. These might reinforce the main narrative, provide a context for the story or describe what is going on elsewhere. Scholars studying the Bayeux Tapestry have identified the source of many of the images. By identifying the inspiration for a large number of the scenes, the experts have demonstrated that the design must have been based in England. They found that many had been copied or developed from manuscripts that were located in Canterbury around the time of the Norman Conquest. |
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