A leading art history expert who is one of the few people to have studied the Bayeux Tapestry up close has warned that its “extremely fragile” condition makes it “not worth” the risk of moving it to the British Museum.
Professor Shirley Ann Brown, who has spent decades researching the priceless 11th-century artwork, told The Independent her experience surveying the relic has left her convinced that the risks of transporting it to London from its home in Normandy, France, outweigh any rewards.
“The tapestry is irreplaceable,” she told The Independent. “Every physical movement or alteration of its controlled environment has a detrimental effect. No matter the amount of care taken, there is always an element of risk, and it’s not worth it.”
The criticism comes after artist David Hockney blasted the plans as “madness” on Wednesday.
Writing exclusively for The Independent, Mr Hockney said moving the tapestry across the channel was “reckless” and an “unnecessary conservation ordeal”.
The historic tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of 1066, is expected to attract millions of visitors to the British Museum, where it will be put on display as part of a nine-month loan.
But the plans have been subject to scrutiny from historians and conservationists, who say its delicate condition leaves it exposed to irreparable tears, unravelling, and damage.
Professor Brown, professor emerita of art history at York University in Toronto, told The Independent that she had the rare opportunity to study the tapestry’s condition without its glass protection in 2020.
“It is an extremely fragile 900-year-old embroidered fabric that has been badly handled and damaged at several points in its existence, and has been repaired and undergone at least a couple of early ‘restorations’ since it came to public view in the 1730s,” she said.
Rewards of educational benefits, as well as a potential financial draw for the British Museum, do not outweigh the physical risks involved in transporting the relic, she added.
Such hazards include the unpacking and repacking of the artwork from storage boxes several times, which Professor Brown said is where she believes the biggest risk of damage occurs.
“In spite of all the planning and professionalism involved, there is always an element of risk when physically handling something as extremely fragile as the Bayeux Tapestry,” she said.
She also warned of the potential for harm to come to the tapestry from protesters who could target it, saying crowd surveillance and security will have to be “perfect” to ensure it is protected.
“I certainly see this as a ‘vanity’ project fuelled by both political forces and competition within the museum world,” she added when asked if she agreed with Mr Hockney’s claim that the plans are rooted in “vanity and symbolic educational value”.
Exhibition officials insist their conservation experts are experienced and able to manage the daunting prospect of moving the 70-metre-long medieval relic across the English Channel.
A British Museum spokesperson previously said: “The British Museum has a world-leading conservation and collections management team who are experienced at handling and caring for this type of material; they are working closely with colleagues in France on the tapestry’s display.”
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