Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Tapestry

155

and tl1ere seeшs to Ье no special reason fог depa1·ting froш the cнstom. Some authшities state tllat the Bayeux tapestгy was шаdе Ьу the Empress Matilda, daughter of Hcnry I., while otl1ers consider it the achieveшent of Qнeen Matilda, thc wife of Williaш the Conqueror. She is гесшdеd to liave sat quietly awaiting her lord's coming ,vhile she eшbroideгed this quaint souveni1· of his pro,vess iв coнquest. А veгitaЫc medire­ val Penelope, it is claimed that she dil'ected l1er ladies in this ,vork, whicl1 is thoroнghly Saxon in feeling and cos­ tuming. It is undouЬtedly the most inteгcsting re­ шaiпing picce of nccdlewшk of the clcveпth centш-y, and it would Ье delightfнl if опе coнld belicve the legcшl of its constгuction. Its attribution to Qнeen Matilda is ve1·y geneгally doнЬted Ьу tlюsc wlю have dcvoted шucl1 tl10ught to the sнbject. М1·. F1·ank Rede Fowke gives it as his opinioп, hased оп а nнmher of arguments too long to quote in this place, t.hat the tapestry was not шасtе Ьу Queen Matilda, but was oгdercd Ьу Bishop Odo as an ornament for tl1e nave of Bayeux Cathedral, and was executed Ьу Nогшап c1·aftsmeп in that city. Dr. Rock also favoш-s the theшy that it was worked Ьу orde1· of Вishop Odo. Odo ,va.s а Ьгоthег of \Villiaш the Coп­ queror and шight easily have Ьееп intercsted in pгe­ serving so important а record of tl1e Battle of Hastings. Dr. Rock states tЬat the tradition that Queen Matilda executed the tapestry did not a1·ise at all uпtil 1730. The woгk is on lincn, exccuted in ,vorsteds. Fowke gi\·es the leпgth as t,vo huш.lгecl and thi1·ty fect, ,vhilc