The Lady and the Unicorn

"The Lady and the Unicorn" ( _fr. La Dame à la licorne) is the modern title given to a series of six tapestries woven in Flanders of wool and silk, from designs ("cartoons") drawn in Paris in the late fifteenth century, [See [http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/ang/pages/page_id18368_u1l2.htm photos and discussions of the six tapestries at the Musée du Moyen Age website.] ] The suite is often considered one of the greatest works of art of the Middle Ages in Europe.

Five of the tapestries are commonly interpreted as depicting the five senses - taste, hearing, sight, smell, and touch. The sixth displays the words "À mon seul désir" (meaning: "to my only desire"), whose meaning is obscure, but has been interpreted as representing love or understanding. Each of the six tapestries depicts a noble lady with the unicorn on her left and a lion on her right; some include a monkey in the scene. The pennants, as well as the armor of the Unicorn and Lion in the tapestry bear the arms of the sponsor, Jean Le Viste, a powerful nobleman in the court of King Charles VII.

The tapestries are created in the style of "mille-fleurs" (meaning: "thousand flowers").

The tapestries were rediscovered in 1841 by Prosper Mérimée in Boussac castle (at the time, the subprefect of the Creuse) where they had been suffering damage from their storage conditions. Novelist George Sand brought public attention to the tapestries in her works at the time. The cycle is currently held in the Musée de Cluny (Musée du Moyen-Âge), Paris (France), where it has resided since 1882.

These tapestries are also the central theme of the novels "The Lady and the Unicorn" by Tracy Chevalier, and "The Seventh Unicorn" by Kelly Jones. Recently two 'historical novels' of Pith Schure have seen the light under the title "La Licorne and .....". Together with the final one - expected to be published in 2009 - those will make up a 'trilogy' on the subject.

The tapestries

;"Taste"The lady is taking candy from a dish held by a maidservant. Her eyes are on a parakeet on her upheld left hand. The lion and the unicorn are both standing on their hind legs reaching up to pennants that frame the lady on either side. The monkey is at her feet, eating one of the candies.

;"Hearing"The lady plays a positive organ on top of a table covered with a Turkish rug. Her maidservant stands to the opposite side and operates the bellows. The lion and unicorn once again frame the scene holding up the pennants. Just as on all the other tapestries, the unicorn is to the lady's left and the lion to her right - a common denominator to all the tapestries.

;"Sight"The lady is seated, holding a mirror up in her right hand. The unicorn kneels on the ground, with his front legs in the lady's lap, from which he gazes at his reflection in the mirror. The lion on the left holds up a pennant.

;"Smell"The lady stands, making a wreath of flowers. Her maidservant holds a basket of flowers within her easy reach. Again, the lion and unicorn frame the lady while holding on to the pennants. The monkey has stolen a flower which he is smelling, providing the key to the allegory.

;"Touch"The lady stands with one hand touching the unicorn's horn, and the other holding up the pennant. The lion sits to the side and looks on.

;"À Mon Seul Désir"This tapestry is wider than the others, and has a somewhat different style. The lady stands in front of a tent, across the top which reads "À Mon Seul Désir" (To my only desire). Her maidservant stands to the right, holding open a chest. The lady is placing the necklace she wears in the other tapestries into the chest. To her left is a low bench with bags of coins on it. The unicorn and the lion stand in their normal spots framing the lady while holding onto the pennants.

This tapestry has elicited a number of interpretations. One interpretation sees the lady putting the necklace into the chest as a renunciation of the passions aroused by the other senses, and as an assertion of her free will. Another sees the tapestry as representing a sixth sense of understanding (derived from the sermons of Jean Gerson of the University of Paris c. 1420). Other various interpretations see the tapestry as representing love or virginity.

ee also

* The Hunt of the Unicorn
* [http://www.lalicorne.nl/aaitsartwork/artdecluny.html The Unicorn]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/ang/pages/page_id18368_u1l2.htm Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries] Musée du Moyen Age photos and discussions of the 6 tapestries.
* [http://www.tchevalier.com/unicorn/index.html Tracy Chevalier official web site] The novel "The Lady and the Unicorn" - background story, inspiration and medieval symbolism, with descriptive photos of the tapestries.
* [http://www.lalicorne.nl/aapublishing/masterpage.html Pith Schure web site] Trilogy under the name La Licorne is a historic novel on the house with the one tower in Bokhoven, the Netherlands. The site shows also many pictures on the Unicorn.

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