The Unicorn Tapestries

The unicorn tapestries is the title given to a set of six full tapestries, as well as three fragments of an additional tapestry, that depict the hunt of a unicorn. The tapestries are currently being housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tapestries have a long and complicated history, of which much is left in the dark. The tapestries were woven in the Southern Netherlands around the year 1500 (Colburn 2010, 97). Five of the seven unicorn tapestries were speculated by James J. Rorimer to have been made for Anne of Brittany to commemorate her marriage to Louis XII in 1499, Rorimer explains Queen Anne’s supposed affinity for tapestries, “Judging from extracts from her inventories and expense accounts, Anne was one of the greatest collectors
One of the problems is that “The Unicorn is Tamed by the Maiden” only survives in two fragments. The general accepted order of the tapestries as asserted first by Rorimer and later by Freeman is laid out by Helmut Nickel, “The Start of the Hunt, The Unicorn at the Fountain, The Unicorn Tries to Escape, The Unicorn Defends Himself, The Unicorn Is Tamed by the Maiden (preserved only as a fragment), The Unicorn Is Killed and Brought to the Castle, and finally The Unicorn in Captivity” (Nickel 1982). However, countless scholars have noted the differences between the first and last of the series of tapestries. When studying “The Unicorn in Captivity” (fig. 7) and “The Start of the Hunt” (fig. 1), the first noticeable difference is the millefleur style of the background flora, while in the other five tapestries the plants are woven more realistically and naturally (Alexander and Woodward 1965, 2). This could mean that these two tapestries were woven elsewhere, that they simply are not part of the series, or that they were not woven by the same weavers. It is most likely that the tapestries are all part of the same series, due to the AE markings present on all of the tapestries, but their differences could be due to any of the reasons speculated above. The possible explanations for the striking differences in the first and final tapestries are endless, but one
The tapestries fit in well with the lifestyle of members of the second estate, who moved around quite often. Williamson reasons, “One of the great advantages of having tapestries as works of art was their adaptability. They were easily removed from the wall, rolled up, and slung across the back of a pack horse or into a wagon; and upon relocation, they would provide a familiar setting for the owner while he was away in alien surroundings” (Williamson 1987, 4). The unicorn tapestries would have likely functioned similarly to this, acting as portable decoration, a constant sign of wealth and power in the life of the nobles who possessed them. During the french revolution, however, the unicorn tapestries were removed from their place on the walls of La Rochefoucauld Chateau in 1793 by peasants and used instead to keep their potatoes from freezing (Metropolitan Museum of Art 1973, 222). This is an ironic symbol of the loss of power felt by the second estate during this time period. Although the hunt of the unicorn as depicted in the Unicorn Tapestries is mythical and magical in every sense of the words, it still accurately depicts the typical medieval hunt, which was participated in enthusiastically by the members of the second estate. In the case of the unicorn tapestries a magical creature simply takes the place of the usual