The Bayeux Tapestry Replica at 91ÁÔÆæ
A key artwork at the University of North Georgia (91ÁÔÆæ), the Bayeux Tapestry Replica is the only full-size replica in the United States of the famous embroidery that visually captures the story of the Battle of Hastings, a military conflict that turned the tide of England’s history in 1066.
The replica was commissioned by Judge Edd Wheeler from Tucker, Georgia, who donated it to 91ÁÔÆæ in 2014 to fulfill an educational mission. Upon arrival at North Georgia, the replica underwent cleaning and restoration by Visual Arts faculty. It is carefully preserved at the Department of Visual Arts, under the tutelage of the College of Arts and Letters.
The replica is 224 feet long and it is hand-painted in acrylic on cotton canvas. It took the artist, Margaret ReVille, eleven months to complete in 1986-87. The imagery faithfully reproduces the original embroidery housed at the in France. It has also been judged as the most accurate copy in the world.
2024 Bayeux Tapestry
Replica Exhibit
Free and Open to the Public
- When: September 14 - 19
- Exhibition Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Location:
For Information, contact: Ana Pozzi Harris
About the Bayeux Tapestry
The original Bayeux Tapestry visually tells the story of the Battle of Hastings, which took place on 14 October 1066 in the south coast of England. At this conflict, the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy defeated an English army led by Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson. The battle set in motion the Norman conquest of England, an event which profoundly affected European history.
The Bayeux Tapestry is regarded as a historical document because it is believed to have been created soon after the battle, thus communicating the attitudes of the French conquerors towards their own achievements. The work is also an excellent example of Romanesque art style and visual storytelling which brilliantly communicates expressive figures, animals, medieval buildings, vessels, weapons, military gear, and combat strategy. It is also a uniquely well-preserved Medieval embroidered textile.
Some of the momentous changes that followed the Battle of Hastings were:
- A feudal tenurial system headed by a small and powerful ruling class of Norman magnates was established in England.
- Property was documented in writing through an extensive survey of the land (the Domesday Book).
- The English architectural landscape changed due to the widespread construction of motte-and-bailey castles, monasteries, and parish churches. These were built in the Romanesque architectural style, which in England was called "Norman." This was the physical evidence of the new rulers' power.
- With the Norman rulers in power, the English language absorbed many French words. The effects of the conquest are still evident in today’s English.
Key Figures & Scenes from the Replica
About the Replica
At its home at 91ÁÔÆæ, the Bayeux Tapestry Replica achieves the educational mission intended by Judge Wheeler. Faculty and students from academic departments in the College of Arts and Letters directly interact and engage with a work of art, inquiring about the cultural, historical, political, linguistic, artistic, and military context of a heroic medieval story.
The replica enables the 91ÁÔÆæ community to directly observe a world very different from our own and to ask questions about how language, art, architecture, history, military strategy, and politics have changed and evolved over time.
By studying and preserving the painted replica, we gain new perspectives about the past, the present, and about ourselves.