
The French President made these statements to the newspapers Ouest-France and Paris Normandie, during his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom, which began today.
“With its symbolic nature and the invaluable worth of the loaned pieces, this unprecedented exchange demonstrates the desire to revitalize the cultural relationship between our two countries and the confidence that exists between us,” said the French Head of State to the two newspapers, as quoted by AFP.
“Our British friends are reciprocating by offering us the opportunity to exhibit, on our side, absolutely magnificent pieces from the Sutton Hoo treasure, pieces from the Lewis chessmen, and the Battersea Shield,” he added.
The loaned pieces will be displayed in the museums of Caen and Rouen, in Normandy.
The Bayeux Tapestry, dated between 1066 and 1083, is a well-known “embroidered tale” 70 meters long that narrates the conquest of England, of which William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, became king in 1066.
Currently, the tapestry is on display at the Bayeux Museum, in the French region of Normandy, which is expected to close for renovations until October 2027. The piece will undergo restoration after its loan to the British Museum.
The Sutton Hoo Treasure is considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the United Kingdom: a ship burial discovered in 1938-1939, in southeast England, which transformed historians’ views of the Anglo-Saxon period of the early Middle Ages.