The Unicorn Tapestries
What are They?
The Unicorn Tapestries are a set of seven large woven pieces featuring the hunt, kill, and rebirth of a unicorn. Their date is not known but set at approximately 1500. Historians assigned this date of origin, because the male noblemen present in the works wear shoes with square toes which became the fashion around the turn of the 15th century. Most of the tapestries feature millefleur (“thousand flowers”) backgrounds. The scenes include men hunting with dogs, carrying spears and swords, the maiden luring the unicorn, the stabbing and ultimate death of the unicorn, and the end result of the beast tamed and laying peacefully in a pen.
Symbolism within the The Unicorn and the Fountain
The works include an incredible amount of symbolism, especially in the second piece or panel of the story. This work, known as The Unicorn and the Fountain, features the unicorn dipping its horn in a river with many different animals in the foreground and men and dogs surrounding in the background. The scene is thought to be largely symbolic of the battle between Satan and Christ. Snakes (Satan association) were believed to release venom into water during the night, hence the unicorn is purifying the stream with its horn. Among the animals are a panther, stag, lion, and hyena. The panther in the medieval times was associated with Christ. The hyena is the opposite to the panther, associated with death. It was believed that hyenas lived in graveyards. The stag was reputed to eat snakes. The position of the stag in the picture is significant because it lays near the stream. There’s was a story that recounts a stag spitting water into a snake hole to force the snake to surface, to then be eaten. Also, from the 42nd Psalms is the phrase “as the hart panteth…” which gave the stag a specific association to Christianity and purity. There is another psalm that says “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder…” One of the hunters stands near the lion pointing. He is also stepping on a white campion which is a plant associated with adders, goblins, and death.
Other Thoughts
At first, uneducated view of The Unicorn and the Fountain (the 2nd unicorn work) the animals appear random. However, study has shown that every creature has its place and meaning. The amount of symbolism and references packed into one image is impressive. There is even some thought that the symbolism is not only purely christian but can double to touch inferences to Greek mythology as well. There are symbols to suggest abundance, fertility and a return to vegetation that relates to deities like Adonis and Narcissus. The unicorn tapestries are also unique in that they have survived for so long and are such a topic of great interest. Researchers have dug deeply into these tapestries, working to figure out the nuances. A time line of their ownership goes back to the 1600s when they were owned by Francois IV de la Rochefoucauld. Study of style and content has allowed historians to date and to place the origin of the art to workshops in Brussles. The amount of information collected shows the love of these works persists through the ages.
Sources:
“The Birds and the Beasts” The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2000-2011 accssed Sept 18th 2011
Williamson, John. The Oak King, The Holly King, and The Unicorn Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1986.