Viking Sun Art Collection

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE |

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE | DECKS 7–8 THE BALDISHOL TAPESTRY The Norwegian Baldishol Tapestry (c.1040–1190) is the only existing example of Nordic tapestry woven in the Gobelin technique from the Middle Ages and is one of the few preserved Romanesque tapestries in Europe. Its name comes from the Baldishol church in Nes, Hedmark, Norway, where it was found prior to the church’s demolition in 1879. The original piece is believed to have been a long frieze of images representing the 12 months of the year. Today, only a fragment of the tapestry remains and is in the process of being relocated, along with the rest of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design’s collection, to the new National Museum in Oslo. It depicts a bearded man in a long robe beside a tree of birds and a man in armor riding a horse, most likely meant to signify April and May. The torn edges of the remaining 118-by-203-centimeter fragment indicate that it was part of a larger work. Due to the tapestry’s thematic and stylistic parallels with European art, especially French and English, its origin has been speculated to be a small workshop in Central Europe. Its provisional features, however, seem to support the theory that it was produced in Norway. The Baldishol Tapestry also coincides with the Bayeux Tapestry in its treatment of its motif, although the Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery, not a woven fabric, illustrating the Norman Conquest of England. 10

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE | DECKS 7–8 BALDISHOL TAPESTRY | 1960 11