The Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries
The Unicorn in Captivity — final tapestry
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries are seven large tapestries depicting the hunt and capture of a unicorn — among the most extraordinary objects of the medieval period in any medium. Made in Brussels around 1495-1505, each tapestry is approximately 3.7 by 3.7 metres, woven with extraordinary density (approximately 20 threads per centimetre) in wool, silk, and silver and gold metallic thread.
The seven tapestries show: The Start of the Hunt, The Unicorn at the Fountain, The Unicorn Attacked, The Unicorn Defending Itself, The Unicorn is Subdued, The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the Castle, and The Unicorn in Captivity. The final tapestry — a unicorn lying in a flowering meadow enclosed by a circular fence, its white body stained with pomegranate juice (or blood) — is one of the most beautiful images in Western art. The iconographic meaning of the unicorn hunts is disputed: they may be secular (courtly hunt allegory), religious (the unicorn as Christ, hunted and sacrificed), or both simultaneously.
The tapestries were probably made for a Franco-Flemish noble patron around 1495-1505 — the exact commissioner is unknown. An 'AE' monogram interlaced at the top of several tapestries is believed to be the donor's initials. The tapestries appear in an inventory of the La Rochefoucauld family in 1728 and were eventually purchased by John D.
Rockefeller Jr. in 1922, who donated them to the Cloisters in 1937. The weaving quality is extraordinary: the millefleurs backgrounds (thousands of individual flowers, leaves, animals, and birds woven in the backgrounds) represent hundreds of botanical species identifiable by botanists. The animals in the backgrounds include rabbits, dogs, pheasants, partridges, herons, and peacocks — all rendered with individual feathers and specific observation.
Allow at least an hour for the seven tapestries. The Cloisters devotes a purpose-built room (the Unicorn Tapestry Hall) to them, with benches for seated viewing.
Begin with the first tapestry and progress through the narrative; then return to the final tapestry (The Unicorn in Captivity) for extended viewing. Notice the millefleurs backgrounds: over 100 botanical species have been identified, some of which were symbols (the pomegranate fruit on the fence of the final tapestry = fertility and the Resurrection; the violet = humility; the hawthorn = hope). The faces of the hunters and the unicorn itself are among the most vivid images in any medium from the period.
When standing before this work, look carefully: The Unicorn in Captivity — final tapestry. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
When standing before this work, look carefully: The Start of the Hunt — first tapestry. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
When standing before this work, look carefully: Millefleurs background — hundreds of botanical species. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
When standing before this work, look carefully: The Unicorn at the Fountain — second tapestry. Give it time — what seems decorative often carries the central meaning.
The Met Cloisters, Fort Tryon Park, Washington Heights, New York. The tapestries are in the Unicorn Tapestry Hall on the upper floor of the Cloisters. Plan a dedicated visit.