This sceneĬontrasts with the previous which was quiet and still, He dashes acrossĪ stream, traced by dogs, completely surrounded by the Here, the unicorn makes a madĭash to escape the hunters but is surrounded. Talking and gesturing but nothing can actually be done. And one feels this arrested moment where the unicorn can't be approached. And that was part of the myth, that when the unicorn wasĭoing something miraculous it could not be hunted. Here we see the hunters, theyĬan't interrupt the unicorn because it is engaged in a miracle. There are lions, a leopard, perhaps a hyena and a large stag and then at the fountain Is purified by the unicorn because of the flowers that grow up around the stream. Had healing properties, especially in its horn. There's a menagerie ofĪnimals and hunters. At its center is thisĬlassicizing fountain and a unicorn kneels, placing his horn into a stream fed by the fountain. The second tapestry isĪmong the most elaborate. But so far, we don't have much to stand on and there are a number Have worked very hard to use those initials as identifiers for the person who commissioned these or for whom it was intended as a gift. Tapestries in this cycle, the initials a and E tied Something that we see in virtually all the Or a thousand flowers, this dense design of foliage and flowers, so that there's no sky, there's no landscape What we have here is a pattern known as mille-fleurs But if you look at the upper right corner you can see that there's a boy gesturing, perhaps he's spied the unicorn and he's gesturing come this way. The men are speaking amongst themselves and taking the dogs out, Even the dogs are wearingĮlaborate collars. We see these figures whoĪre very finely dressed. This is an enormous textile and the figures are life size. And therefore, the first one is this scene of leaving for the hunt. But we're gonna follow the order that's currently accepted. We're notĮntirely sure which order these tapestries should be viewed in, or indeed, if there is an order at all. So the unicorn is associated with Christ and the maiden who attracts it is associated with the Virgin Mary. Was very difficult to hunt and it could only be caught by a maiden, that is by a virgin. The basic story is this: That a unicorn was miraculous. You could read about unicorns in medieval bestiaries, but And so the idea of a unicorn might not have seemedĮntirely implausible. It was still seeing for the first time, new creatures from Asia and from Africa. It's important to remember that in the late 15th century Europe was still being Mythical beast of the unicorn goes back to ancient Greece and Rome, that there are numerous illustrations of a woman with a unicorn We have very little informationĪbout who commissioned these or where they were Silver and wool and silk, but this is weaving of Not only are extremelyĮxpensive materials used including metallic threads, But we can also tell that by the fineness of the Way that they're dressed in velvets and silks Tapestry that was made for the highest levels of the elite of Europe. That they were designed and likely commissionedīy someone in France, but likely made in the city of Brussels, which was known for its tapestry weaving. And we know that because of the fashions that the figures wear. Think, at the very end of the 15th century or perhaps (light music) - We're in the the Cloisters, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in their wonderful
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