#unicorntapestries

[publicdomainreview]

Lavishly woven in fine wool and silk with silver and gilded threads, the seven wall hangings collectively known as “The Unicorn Tapestries” (now hanging in The Met Cloisters) are some of the most beautiful and enigmatic works of art to survive from the medieval period. The first six tapestries depict a "unicorn hunt" in which the unicorn is eventually killed. Pictured here is the seventh and final tapestry which depicts, mysteriously, the unicorn alive and well and entirely tamed. He is fenced in and chained to a tree, but the chain is less than secure and the fence is low. He has submitted to his captivity. The red stains on his flank, in the words of the Met’s catalog, “do not appear to be blood, as there are no visible wounds like those in the hunting series; rather, they represent juice dripping from bursting pomegranates” — a medieval symbol of marriage and fertility. Although it's possible it was considered separate, it seems rather to be the mystical conclusion of the series, in which the “unicorn, miraculously come to life again,” stands for both the risen Christ and the “lover-bridegroom, at last secured by his adored lady.”⠀ .⠀ .⠀ 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄⠀ .⠀ .⠀ Learn more on our site -- click link in bio and search "unicorn", and also we've this last tapestry available to buy as a print in our online shop (see link in website post)⠀ .⠀ .⠀ 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #unicorn #unicorns #unicorntapestries #medieval #textiles #middleages #allegory #tapestry #art #magic #metcloisters (at The Met Cloisters) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0bOOunnu7E/?igshid=sr4uazp26ou4

[hemanchong]

Absolutely one of my favourite rooms in #Manhattan. I can spend days looking at these. “#TheHuntoftheUnicorn or the #UnicornTapestries (French: La Chasse à la #licorne) is a series of seven tapestries made in the South #Netherlands around 1495–1505, and now in #TheCloisters @metcloisters in #NewYork. They were possibly designed in #Paris and show a group of noblemen and hunters in pursuit of a #unicorn through an idealised #French landscape. The #tapestries were woven in #wool, metallic threads, and #silk. The vibrant colours, still evident today, were produced from dye plants: #weld (yellow), #madder (red), and #woad (blue). First recorded in 1680 in the Paris home of the #Rochefoucauld family, the tapestries were looted at the #FrenchRevolution. Rediscovered in a barn in the 1850s, they were hung at the family's Château de Verteuil. Since then they have been the subject of intense scholarly debate about the meaning of their iconography, the identity of the artists who designed them, and the sequence in which they were meant to be hung. Although various theories have been put forward, as yet nothing is known of their early history or provenance, and their dramatic but conflicting narratives have inspired multiple readings, from chivalric to Christological. Variations in size, style, and composition suggest they come from more than one set, linked by their subject matter, provenance, and the mysterious AE monogram which appears in each. One of the panels, "The Mystic Capture of the Unicorn", survives as just two fragments. One theory is that the tapestries show pagan and Christian symbolism. The #pagan themes emphasise the medieval lore of beguiled lovers, whereas Christian writings interpret the unicorn and its death as the Passion of Christ. The unicorn has long been identified by Christian writers as a symbol of #Christ, conscripting the traditionally pagan symbolism of the unicorn. The original pagan myths about The Hunt of the Unicorn refer to an animal with a single horn that can only be tamed by a virgin; Christian scholars translated this into an allegory for Christ's relationship with the #VirginMary.” (at The Met Cloisters) https://www.instagram.com/p/CctNwGvFBrE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mindytilleryart]

Unicorn Stories - mixed media series based on & inspired by Medieval Unicorn tapestries - mindytillery.com #unicorntapestries #mixedmediaart #artandsuccesspro https://www.instagram.com/p/CXcLBThrZKe/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mindytilleryart]

Unicorn Stories…mixed media series based on & inspired by Medieval Unicorn tapestries - see them all mindytillery.com #unicorntapestries #mixedmediaart https://www.instagram.com/mindytilleryart/p/CXaeCyhr_Wg/?utm_medium=tumblr

[unicorn-in-captivity]

"In the Unicorn's Garden" by @studioangelique. Prints available on Etsy. This seems like such a lovely afternoon! #reading #unicorns🦄 #unicorntapestries #lovelyafternoon #readingtime #unicorn #unicornart #medievalfantasy #readtoyourpets #lovereading #unicornsofinstagram #unicornsarereal #readabook https://www.instagram.com/p/CMA4t-aHJiu/?igshid=hmo8sjxbhecn

[unicorn-in-captivity]

#unicorntapestries #lightanddark #oppositesattract #unicorns🦄 #unicorn #unicornart #unicornfan #medievalpopart #paintings #hotandcool #nightandday #captiveunicorn https://www.instagram.com/p/CK4eBP3H0-M/?igshid=1sz22t1xuhqhd

[johncerilli]

#TheCloisters most famous exhibit is the #UnicornTapestries. They’re exquisite pieces of artistic vision and craftsmanship that date from the 16th century. Here they are, presented in the order most commonly believed to be correct, but mystery and debate still surrounds them and probably always will. Here are the names of the seven, in order: The Start of The Hunt. The Unicorn at The Fountain. The Unicorn Attacked. The Unicorn Defending Himself. The Mystic Capture of the Unicorn. The Unicorn Killed and Brought to The Castle. The Unicorn in Captivity. The eighth photo has a short but good overview of the tapestries and the last two shots are details from one of them. #Art #MedievalArt @metmuseum (at The Met Cloisters) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9f-JbEh9Un/?igshid=rp87wtfy1mgt

[ronk]

The Unicorn Tapestries. Happily, I have seen them in person several times at The Met Cloisters, but it is good to see them again if only virtually. Why are the letters A & E hidden in places? Love a mystery. https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/the-unicorn-tapestries-1495-1505/ #unicorn #unicorntapestries #cloisters (at The Met Cloisters) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0YjEhJBAOw/?igshid=n49sdme7b805