| agent |
unknown (Netherlandish tapestry weaver) |
| culturalContext |
Flemish; Netherlandish |
| date |
ca. 1495-1505 (creation) |
| description |
The Unicorn in Captivity may have been created as a single image rather than part
of a series. In this instance, the unicorn probably represents the beloved tamed.
He is tethered to a tree and constrained by a fence, but the chain is not secure and
the fence is low enough to leap over: The unicorn could escape if he wished. Clearly,
however, his confinement is a happy one, to which the ripe, seed-laden pomegranates
in the tree--a medieval symbol of fertility and marriage--testify.
Metropolitan Museum of Art [website]; http://www.metmuseum.org (accessed 5/30/2009) [description source] |
| inscription |
|
| location |
Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Cloisters (New York, New York, United States) 37.80.6 [repository]
Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1937 [location note] |
| material |
wool warp, wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts |
| measurements |
368 cm (height) x 251.5 cm (width) |
| relation |
partOf The Hunt of the Unicorn [Core 4 Sample Database, refid="25" relids="c_24"] |
| rights |
|
| source |
Core 4 Sample Database (VCat) |
| stateEdition |
|
| stylePeriod |
Medieval |
| subject |
allegorical; animals; cycles or series; decorative arts; literary or legendary; plants;
Animals, Mythical; Gardens; Unicorns; botanical studies; flowery mead; flowery mede;
Mediaeval gardens; Middle Ages
|
| technique |
tapestry (process) |
| textref |
|
| title |
Unicorn in Captivity [cited, true, en] |
| worktype |
furnishings; wall hangings; tapestries |
|
|
|
| image courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art |
|
