The Unicorn in Captivity
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The Unicorn Tapestries: The Unicorn in Captivity
One of the most notable series of tapestries from the late Middle Ages is known as The Unicorn Tapestries, which were created in the 1500s and now residing in The Cloisters in New York City. The tapestries were woven with exceptional skill with high quality materials, as the colors remain vibrant and the joints intact; due to their importance and prestige, the conservation of these tapestries is extremely sophisticated.[1] In the Middle Ages, woven tapestries were more admirable and of higher status than paintings; they were immediate signifiers of the wealth of their patron.[2] The series demonstrates an extensive and complex story of the hunting and capturing of the magnificently beautiful creature, the unicorn.[3] Each individual tapestry portrays a different key moment of the unicorn's story. The most recognizable of the seven tapestries is the seventh and final tapestry, titled The Unicorn in Captivity.
The Unicorn in Captivity is not only significant as the finale of the seven Unicorn Tapestries, it is also world-renowned for its magnificently pleasing aesthetic. In September of 2024, The New York Times chose this work for their "10 Minute Challenge."[4] In this challenge, viewers were forced to give their undivided attention to a work of art for 10 straight minutes, soaking in its exquisite beauty and paying close attention to its content and composition. What makes this particular tapestry mysterious and significant is that its style is completely different from the rest, and there exists debate is ongoing debate about whether or not it belongs with the others. Some believe that The Unicorn in Captivity could have been created at a different time, by a different artist, and could never have been part of the series to begin with.[5] This tapestry, widely known to be the seventh and final of the Unicorn Tapestries, could have actually been an independent work.[6]
In The Unicorn in Captivity, the unicorn has come to life again. In the previous tapestry, the creature was killed and brought back to the castle.[3] The unicorn resides in a beautiful garden filled with vibrant flowers, enclosed by a gate and chained by its neck to a pomegranate tree, which is an allegory of marriage and fertility.[2] Hunting and capturing a beautiful and glorious creature such as the unicorn was desirable due to the notion that its horn was able to neutralize poison.[5] The pure, vivid whiteness of the unicorn is amplified in this seventh tapestry due to the contrast of the body against the dark, forest green grass. The unicorn is chained to the tree by means of a dark belt around its neck that matches the background color. This chain is known as a love chain, also titled a chaine d'amour, and is an illustration of a male's intense devotion to his lover found in medieval poetry.[3] There is a red substance that drips down the unicorns neck which some believe to be the blood of Christ, and others believe to be the juice of the pomegranate: a symbol of fertility.[3] This is significant as the tapestry, and the unicorn itself, is known to be an allegory of fertility.
The enchanting background of The Unicorn in Captivity is filled with illustrations of plants, flowers, trees, and botanical characteristics which all carry a deeper meaning, specifically symbolizing both marriage and fertility. The Unicorn in Captivity's background also includes a large pomegranate tree, the largely signed letters "AE," a small frog in the lower right side, and a small, white fluttering butterfly. The pomegranate tree is a symbol of fertility and the butterfly a symbol of both love and fertility.[3] The frog is significant because aside from the unicorn and some minuscule insects, it is the only other form of animal life.[3]
Some of the botanical representations include orchids, carnations, daisies, madonna lily, strawberry plant, red wallflowers, columbine, thistle, and more.[3] Medieval herbalists said that the orchid holds an interesting power; depending on the specific part of an orchid a male ate (largest part versus lesser part), he would have either a male or female child.[3] The carnation is said to have been viewed in medieval times as an emblem of betrothal and marriage, as well as a sign of Christ or the Virgin.[3] Daisies were given various names during the Middle Ages. France called daisies "paquerettes," signifying the joy of Easter, whereas Germany called the flowers "massliebe" which meant "measure of love."[3] The largest and perhaps most profound botanical attribute in the tapestry is the large thistle in the center, known to be St. Mary's thistle and a symbol of the virgin's chastity.[3] Each individual woven flower in this tapestry contains a deeper connotation that are helpful for better understanding Medieval beliefs.
References
[edit]- ^ Colburn, Kathrin (2010). "Three Fragments of the "Mystic Capture of the Unicorn" Tapestry". Metropolitan Museum Journal. 45: 97–106. ISSN 0077-8958.
- ^ a b Metropolitan Museum of Art (1998). Cavallo, Adolfo Salvatore; Cavallo, Adolph S. (eds.). The unicorn tapestries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York London: Harry N. Abrams [u.a.] ISBN 978-0-87099-868-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Unicorn Tapestries". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 32 (1): 177. 1973. doi:10.2307/3258590.
- ^ Buchanan, Larry; Paris, Francesca; Chilla, Nico (2024-09-12). "10-Minute Challenge: 'The Unicorn Rests in a Garden'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
- ^ a b Nickel, Helmut (1982). "About the Sequence of the Tapestries in "The Hunt of the Unicorn" and "The Lady with the Unicorn"". Metropolitan Museum Journal. 17: 9–14. doi:10.2307/1512782. ISSN 0077-8958.
- ^ "Sources for Popular Religion in Late Medieval England". The Ages of Faith. 2009. doi:10.5040/9780755696970.ch-008.