The Lady and the Unicorn Taste Tapestry

A stunning tapestry is a modern replica of the world famous Lady and the Unicorn in Paris, the sense of Taste. A beautiful mat and frame surround this large vintage work of art from about 25 years ago.

The lady is taking sweets from a dish held by a maidservant. Her eyes are on a parakeet on her upheld left hand. The lion and the unicorn are both standing on their hind legs reaching up to pennants that frame the lady on either side. The monkey is at her feet, eating one of the sweetmeats.

"La Dame a la licorne" is the modern title given to a series of six tapestries woven in Flanders of wool and silk, from designs ("cartoons") drawn in Paris in the late 1500's. The set has been on display in the Musee du Moyen Age, also known as the Musee de Cluny, since 1882, and these remarkable works of art are often considered one of the greatest works of art of the Middle Ages in Europe.

Five of the tapestries depict the five senses - taste, hearing, sight, smell, and touch. The sixth displays the words "A mon seul desir," interpreted as representing love. Each of the six tapestries depicts a noble lady with the unicorn on her left and a lion on her right; some include a monkey in the scene. The pennants, as well as the armor of the Unicorn and Lion in the tapestry bear the arms of the sponsor, Jean Le Viste, a powerful nobleman in the court of King Charles VII.

Created in the style of mille-fleurs or "thousand flowers," the tapestries were rediscovered in 1841 by Prosper Merimee in Boussac castle where they had been suffering damage from their storage conditions. Novelist George Sand, paramour of Chopin, brought public attention to the tapestries in her works at the time.

Overall size of this custom framed wool and cotton woven tapestry is 52" wide and 38" tall.

Item # B-TEX58