The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries, are over 500 years old, and have inspired books, songs, movies and have stirred debate amongst historians. “The Lady and the Unicorn” is regarded as the Mona Lisa of woven artworks. Its reputation is due to its symbolism, history, and mystery. The tapestry’s meaning is obscure but has been understood to represent “love or understanding.”
Woven in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium, from wool and silk, the “Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries” consist of six tapestries designed from drawings that originated from Paris.
Five of the tapestries illustrate the five senses as symbolized by the woman’s interaction with a unicorn, lion, monkey and different objects in the composition. The sixth tapestry remains more of a mystery with the prominent wording “À Mon Seul Désir” (To my only Desire) on the tent.
In the “Touch Tapestry,” the lady stands with one hand touching the unicorn’s horn, and the other holding up the pennant.
In the “Sight Tapestry,” the lady is seated, holding a mirror up to the unicorn.
In the “Taste Tapestry,” the lady is taking sweets from a dish.
In the “Smell Tapestry,” the lady stands, making a wreath of flowers.
In the “Hearing Tapestry,” the lady plays the organ on top of a table.
In all the tapestries, the unicorn is to the lady’s left and the lion to her right, forming a common theme to all the tapestries.
The sixth, “À Mon Seul Désir” Tapestry is wider than the others and has a different style. The lady stands in front of a tent. Across the top of the entrance to the tent is written “À Mon Seul Désir.” An obscure motto, the unicorn, and the lion stand in their standard positions framing the lady while holding onto the tent pennants.
Tapestry weavers use to create the design as they progressed using their imagination. However, from the fourteenth century onward, they copied from a broadsheet of paper (cartone) or a drawing or painting (cartoon). “The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries” are one of the most significant surviving examples of tapestry art from the Middle Ages.
Historians argue that in five of the six panels, the mysterious lady with the unicorn is Mary Tudor. The third wife of Louis XII and sister of Henry VIII, who was Queen of France from 1514 to 1515.
This Middle Ages masterpiece was “rediscovered” in poor condition in 1841 in the castle of Boussac.
The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
- Title: The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
- Artist: Woven in Flanders based on drawings from Paris
- Year: 1500
- Medium: Wool and Silk
- Dimensions H: 3.68m w: 2.00m
- Discovered: 1841
- Museum: Musée National du Moyen Age
A Tour of the Musée National du Moyen Age
- The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
- The Heads of the Kings of Judah
- Treasure of Guarrazar
- Masterpieces of the Musée National du Moyen Age
A Tour of the Museums in Paris
- The Louvre
- Musée National du Moyen Age – Thermes de Cluny (National Museum of Medieval Art)
- Musée d’Orsay
- Musée Rodin
- Musée Carnavalet
- National Archaeological Museum, France
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“Do you know, I always thought unicorns were fabulous monsters, too?
I never saw one alive before!”
Well, now that we have seen each other,” said the unicorn,
“if you’ll believe in me, I’ll believe in you.”
– Lewis Carroll
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Photo Credit: 1) See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 2) See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 3) CC BY 2.5, Link 3) See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons