Reading the Bayeux Tapestry through Canterbury eyes

Scholarly analysis reveals that the Bayeux Tapestry, likely commissioned by Odo, bishop of Bayeux and earl of Kent after the Norman Conquest, was probably designed in Canterbury, England. This conclusion is supported by stylistic similarities between the tapestry's graphic style and Anglo-Saxon manuscripts from Canterbury's St Augustine’s abbey and Christ Church cathedral, particularly the Old English Illustrated Hexateuch. While earlier comparisons by Francis Wormald (1957) are now considered more generic than specific, the overall evidence—including Latin spellings, letter forms, and Odo's prominent role in the narrative—strengthens the case for Canterbury as the tapestry's origin. This study refines our understanding of the tapestry's provenance and its connection to one of England's most prestigious ecclesiastical centers.

Owen-Crocker, G. R. (2023). Reading the Bayeux Tapestry through Canterbury eyes. The Bayeux Tapestry, IV. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003420927-4