Medieval History
Carola Hicks, who has died of cancer aged 68, was a glamorous academic and a serious populariser of art. She created something new in the world of contemporary biography, writing the life stories and afterlives of iconic works of art such as the Bayeux tapestry and the stained-glass windows of King's College Chapel, Cambridge. She swept the dust off old masterpieces, explained their cultural contexts and infused them with life for a new public.
Her book, The Bayeux Tapestry: The Life Story of a Masterpiece (2006), was the first of her innovative biographies of works of art. Carola brought fresh insights to this medieval strip cartoon and instrument of political propaganda. Most groundbreaking was her investigation of the afterlife of the Bayeux tapestry: its rediscovery by 18th-century antiquarians, its survival though the French revolution, its reinvention by the pre-Raphaelites, its skewed interpretation by over-reachers from Napoleon to Heinrich Himmler.
Click here to read this obituary from The Guardian
- Is This How The Bayeux Tapestry Would Have Ended?
The Alderney Bayeux Tapestry The famous Bayeux Tapestry ends with the defeat of King Harold's army and the flight of the Anglo-Saxon soldiers. However, most scholars believe that the original tapestry would have ended with the coronation of William...
- What To Do If You Have 10,000 Hours Of Free Time?
Andy Wilkinson has recreated a miniature version of the Bayeux Tapestry - the eleventh-century embroidery that depicts William the Conqueror's invasion of England and victory at the Battle of Hastings. It took him 18 years to sew the 40 foot-long...
- New Research On How The Bayeux Tapestry Was Made
A University of Manchester researcher has thrown new light on how the world famous Bayeux Tapestry was made over 900 years ago. Alex Makin ?a professional embroiderer who was trained at one the country?s most prestigious institutions ? says the same...
- How Did King Harold Die At The Battle Of Hastings
A recent article is challenging the notion that the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson was killed by an arrow to the eye during the famous Battle of Hastings. The battle, fought in 1066, was a pivotal moment in England's history, ushering in an era...
- Medieval News Of The Week
Ivory panels reunited after centuries apart Questing lost manuscripts A century on, Bayeux tapestry 'vandal' is cleared Archaeologists discover 1,600-yr-old horse racecourse in Greece Gold Ring from Middle Ages Found in East Iceland Historic...
Medieval History
Carola Hicks
Carola Hicks, who has died of cancer aged 68, was a glamorous academic and a serious populariser of art. She created something new in the world of contemporary biography, writing the life stories and afterlives of iconic works of art such as the Bayeux tapestry and the stained-glass windows of King's College Chapel, Cambridge. She swept the dust off old masterpieces, explained their cultural contexts and infused them with life for a new public.
Her book, The Bayeux Tapestry: The Life Story of a Masterpiece (2006), was the first of her innovative biographies of works of art. Carola brought fresh insights to this medieval strip cartoon and instrument of political propaganda. Most groundbreaking was her investigation of the afterlife of the Bayeux tapestry: its rediscovery by 18th-century antiquarians, its survival though the French revolution, its reinvention by the pre-Raphaelites, its skewed interpretation by over-reachers from Napoleon to Heinrich Himmler.
Click here to read this obituary from The Guardian
- Is This How The Bayeux Tapestry Would Have Ended?
The Alderney Bayeux Tapestry The famous Bayeux Tapestry ends with the defeat of King Harold's army and the flight of the Anglo-Saxon soldiers. However, most scholars believe that the original tapestry would have ended with the coronation of William...
- What To Do If You Have 10,000 Hours Of Free Time?
Andy Wilkinson has recreated a miniature version of the Bayeux Tapestry - the eleventh-century embroidery that depicts William the Conqueror's invasion of England and victory at the Battle of Hastings. It took him 18 years to sew the 40 foot-long...
- New Research On How The Bayeux Tapestry Was Made
A University of Manchester researcher has thrown new light on how the world famous Bayeux Tapestry was made over 900 years ago. Alex Makin ?a professional embroiderer who was trained at one the country?s most prestigious institutions ? says the same...
- How Did King Harold Die At The Battle Of Hastings
A recent article is challenging the notion that the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson was killed by an arrow to the eye during the famous Battle of Hastings. The battle, fought in 1066, was a pivotal moment in England's history, ushering in an era...
- Medieval News Of The Week
Ivory panels reunited after centuries apart Questing lost manuscripts A century on, Bayeux tapestry 'vandal' is cleared Archaeologists discover 1,600-yr-old horse racecourse in Greece Gold Ring from Middle Ages Found in East Iceland Historic...