In July 2016, Hansson made the very first stitch on her full-scale Bayeux Tapestry reproduction, which she has worked on for the past ten years. She is due to finish this extraordinary achievement in time for the 1,000th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s birth, in 2027.

Through over ten thousand hours of painstaking hand embroidery, Hansson transforms the eleventh-century Tapestry into a living, evolving object, inviting audiences to reconsider the Bayeux Tapestry not as a distant museum artefact, but as a work made through human hands, patience and storytelling.

Her practice demonstrates how traditional craft can become a powerful form of historical engagement, connecting the experiences of medieval makers with those of a twenty-first-century artist.

The Making of Bayeux Illuminated

Limited Edition Print Process by Caspar King - MD of Harwood King Print Makers.

The making of Mia’s tapestry was a labour of love. It was therefore important for us to emphasise every stitch, revealing the extraordinary skill and years of dedication that have gone into the project.

We wanted the print to go beyond simply reproducing the tapestry. Mia spoke about the painstaking effort involved in creating a faithful copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, but also saw the print as an opportunity to put her own spin on the work.

We chose to produce the print on Canson Infinity Moulin du Roy, a beautifully crafted watercolour paper made in Annonay, France.

The choice felt particularly fitting: a French paper, made by a mill whose history stretches back to the 16th century, being used to recreate a French artwork depicting the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
That connection between material, place and history became an important part of the print itself. Centuries after the events of the Bayeux tapestry were first recorded, the story is being retold on paper made within its own long tradition of French craftsmanship.

Following the oath that he swore in Bayeux, Normandy, Harold returns to England where he is at the aging King Edward’s bedside as he passes away. It is thought that Edward’s final action was to bequeath the English crown to Harold, who willingly accepted, and was coronated the very next day on 6th January 1066.

Coronation depicts this moment, as Harold sits on his throne wearing the royal crown and holding an orb and a sceptre, symbols of Christian rule and royal authority. The new King’s loyal subjects offer him praise from the edges of the scene.

Beside King Harold stands Archbishop Stigand, the Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury who is believed to have officiated the ceremony. Aside from the fact that Harold had broken his sworn oath to William by accepting the English crown, William and the Normans claimed that the Archbishop’s presence invalidated Harold’s coronation as King of England, as Stigand had been excommunicated by the papacy who refused to recognise his legitimacy.

As news of Harold’s betrayal is carried across the sea to Normandy, William begins building a large fleet of invasion ships before he sets sail for the southern coast of England. William depicts his army’s passage across the Channel in their Viking-inspired ships.The formidable English fleet that guarded the coast failed to intercept William’s army, who waited for the winds to change and set sail under the cover of darkness.
The scene’s Latin inscription, ‘Et venit ad Pevenesae’ translates to ‘and he came to Pevensey’, a village in Sussex, England, and tells of how William’s armada landed on English soil on 28th September 1066. They marched east along the coast, where, to defend their position, they set about building a battlement at Hastings; the first Norman-style castle to be built in England.

Harold is one of the most famous scenes in the entire Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the culmination of the Battle of Hastings and the moment in which Harold is killed. According to myth, Harold was shot through the eye with an arrow, suggesting that he may be the figure seen in the centre. It is possible that this story was a form of Norman propaganda which sought to dramatise Harold’s death and the ultimate revenge for the betrayal of his sacred oath. There is some debate as to whether the figure on the right, who is cut down by a Norman knight, may also represent Harold.
The inscription above reads simply, ‘Hic Harold Rex interfectus est’ (‘Here King Harold was killed’). Marking the climax of the battle and the triumph of William over Harold, the lower borders in this scene exhibit the death and destruction of the conflict.