Artist Races Against Time to Complete Bayeux Tapestry Replica Before Landmark Exhibition
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A Cambridgeshire-based artist is in a determined sprint to finish a full-size replica of the famed Bayeux Tapestry by October 2027, coinciding with the original’s highly anticipated display in London and its eventual return to Normandy. The intricate project, undertaken by Mia Hansson, 51, has been nearly a decade in the making and is fueled by a desire to “ride the wave” of attention surrounding the historic embroidery.
The original Bayeux Tapestry, nearly 1,000 years old and stretching 70 meters (230 feet), vividly recounts the story of the 1066 Norman conquest of England and the pivotal Battle of Hastings. A cultural exchange agreement announced earlier this year will bring the tapestry to the British Museum next September, generating significant excitement among historians and art enthusiasts.
Hansson began her meticulous, stitch-by-stitch reproduction in 2016, initially seeking a long-term project that wouldn’t be quickly completed. “I just wanted something to do and needed a project I couldn’t finish in a hurry,” she explained. Since then, she has steadily progressed at a rate of approximately 6 meters (20 feet) per year, currently having completed almost 55 meters (180 feet) of the 70-meter (230-foot) masterpiece.
“It will be a bit of a push,” Hansson admits, acknowledging the looming deadline. “When I finish the image I’m working on right at this minute, I will have completed 55m, which means I have 13.7 left to go. Which is proper downhill from now on.” Despite the challenge, she remains optimistic. “But anything is doable. Who needs sleep?”
A Family Legacy and a Passion for Detail
Hansson’s dedication to embroidery stems from childhood lessons imparted by her Swedish grandmother, Greta. She recalls being given sewing tasks “when I might have been naughty,” and learning the importance of precision. “When I finished, she turned it over and said, ‘This is how I check that you’ve done it properly’ – and that’s when I learned that the back needs to be as neat as the front,” she shared. “I found out immediately, not only that I enjoyed it, but I was naturally good at it.”
Currently, Hansson is focused on recreating “the first English shield wall,” a complex scene depicting nine soldiers standing shoulder-to-shoulder with overlapping shields. She confessed that the sheer volume of detail has, for the first time in nine and a half years, caused her some anxiety. “Above the legs there was a sea of heads in helmets, and every one with one arm up, holding some sort of weapon, mainly spears of all different colours,” she described. “I thought, ‘I don’t know how to tackle it – if I do one line wrong or the wrong colour, I’m off.’”
The “Rebel Seamstress” and the Authenticity of Imperfection
Remarkably, the original tapestry utilizes only seven colors – various shades of blue, green, and turquoise, alongside red and yellow. Subsequent repairs have introduced additional hues, including a bright orange and almost-black. Hansson has even identified what she playfully refers to as a “rebel seamstress” from the 11th century, nicknamed “Mildred,” responsible for several peculiar anomalies in the original work.
“She single-handedly gets the blame for all of the oddities that we find. She just did not follow any rules,” Hansson quipped, citing examples like a “drunken bird” and a strangely positioned human leg “protruding from a wall of horses, which looks like it has been put on backwards… bent like a banana.” To maintain authenticity, Hansson intentionally incorporates these imperfections into her replica. “If my lines are too straight, I have to go against myself a bit to make it look not so perfect. I unpick a lot.”
A Legacy in Threads and a Potential Million-Dollar Sale
Hansson has already published five coloring books inspired by the tapestry and is preparing to release “Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry” in June of next year. The book, featuring 25 full-scale transfers of scenes, includes a foreword by Jan Messent, a renowned embroidery expert, and is slated to be available at the British Museum during the original tapestry’s exhibition.
The completed replica itself is estimated to be worth around £1 million. However, Hansson is hesitant to discuss a sale until the project is finished. “I will not promise it to anyone before I finish it, because it has to remain mine,” she stated. She envisions her work finding a fitting home at the British Museum after the original tapestry returns to Normandy. “The British Museum will have to specially make a display case, and that will cost a lot of money. When they take it down to send it back they will have an empty case. I will have something that will fit perfectly in that space,” she said. “It won’t be the original, but it will still be something really quite spectacular.”
