The Lady and the Unicorn: À Mon Seul Désir

Illustration

Jan van der Crabben
by
published on 21 August 2019
Subscribe to author
The Lady and the Unicorn: À Mon Seul Désir Download Full Size Image

The Lady and the Unicorn are six tapestries depicting a medieval lady in various poses. Each scene depicts one of the five senses; the sixth scene is labelled À Mon Seul Désir ("to my only desire") whose meaning is unclear. Historians attribute the tapestries to be commissioned by the Le Viste family due to the coat of arms prominently placed on the tapestries.

The tapestries were made at the crossroads between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, around 1500, most likely by a Parisian artist who also created the Christian devotional book Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany. They were probably woven in Flanders.

Wool and Silk. Musée de Cluny, Paris, France. Cl. 10831-10836.

Remove Ads
Advertisement
Subscribe to this author

About the Author

Jan van der Crabben
Jan is the Founder and CEO of World History Encyclopedia. He holds an MA War Studies from King's College, and he has worked in the field of history-related digital media since 2006.

Photo Location

This photograph was taken at the following location:

Cite This Work

APA Style

Crabben, J. v. d. (2019, August 21). The Lady and the Unicorn: À Mon Seul Désir. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11080/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-a-mon-seul-desir/

Chicago Style

Crabben, Jan van der. "The Lady and the Unicorn: À Mon Seul Désir." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 21, 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11080/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-a-mon-seul-desir/.

MLA Style

Crabben, Jan van der. "The Lady and the Unicorn: À Mon Seul Désir." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 21 Aug 2019. Web. 21 Feb 2025.

Membership