The Hunt of the Unicorn or the Unicorn Tapestries is a series of seven tapestries (a piece of thick textile fabric with pictures or designs formed by weaving colored weft threads or embroidering on canvas, used as a wall hanging or furniture covering) dating from between 1495 and 1505 and is one of the most popular exhibits at the Met Cloisters.
These seven individual hangings are among the most beautiful and complex works of art from the late Middle Ages that survived. Luxuriously woven in fine wool and silk with silver and gilded threads, the tapestries vividly depict scenes associated with a hunt for the elusive, magical unicorn.
I wanted to show just how huge these tapestries are.
On my left The Hunters Enter the Woods (Tapestry 1) . On my right The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the Castle (Tapestry 6)
No pictures can do justice to these beautiful works of art.
The Unicorn Defends Itself (Tapestry 3)
The Unicorn is Found (Tapestry 2)
My poor attempt to capture the details.
These 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).
The MET Cloisters, NYC – March 31, 2018
