Bayeux Around Britain: casting a masterpiece

About

A British Museum Spotlight Loan, supported by WorldQuant Supported by the Dorset Foundation in memory of Harry M Weinrebe

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is delighted to be the first of six venues across the UK to host Bayeux Around Britain: casting a masterpiece, a British Museum Spotlight Loan bringing three rare, hand-painted plaster casts of details from the Bayeux Tapestry to Hastings. The casts were made in the early 19th century by artist Charles Alfred Stothard, who was commissioned to create the first complete colour drawings of the Tapestry. He also took wax moulds directly from its embroidered surface, from which a series of plaster casts were produced.

Three of these casts were later acquired by the British Museum and are rarely on public display. The casts feature Harold Godwinson, King of England in 1066, and William, Duke of Normandy, who defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings and claimed the English crown.They depict scenes including Harold's coronation and William preparing for battle.

Offering an unusually close view of the Tapestry's imagery and texture, the casts provide a fascinating insight into how this extraordinary work of art has been studied, copied and interpreted over the centuries.

Presented here in Hastings, close to the site of the 1066 battle, this exhibition offers a particularly fitting opportunity to encounter this remarkable piece of British history.