In this book George Beech presents his hypothesis that the Bayeux Tapestry was made in Saumur and not England
Was the Bayeux Tapestry made in France ? The case for ST. Florent of Saumur
By George Beech
Palgrave macmillan 2005, 142 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4039-6670-4
ISBN10: 1-4039-6670-2
ABSTRACT
This book presents the hypothesis that the Bayeux tapestry, long believed to have been made in England, came from the Loire valley in France, from the abbey of St. Florent of Saumur. This is based on a number of different kinds of evidence, the most important of which is signs of a St. Florent/Breton influence in the portrayal of the Breton campaign in the tapestry, about a tenth of the whole. The book gendered a flood of responsive in the form of reviews, some emissive other in agreement.
AUTHOR
George Beech is retired Professor of Medieval History at Western Michigan University.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
The Textile Workshop at Saint-Florent in the Eleventh Century
The Relationship between William the Conqueror and Abbot William of Saint-Florent
Saint-Florent and the Commissioning of the Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry and Romanesque Art from Western France
The Breton Campaign in the Tapestry and Abbot William of Saint-Florent
The Saint-Florent Hypothesis and Baudri of Bourgueil’s Poem to the Countess Adele
Conclusion
