Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Click to view high resolution image Title: Lady and the Unicorn: Sight Creator: Description: A seated lady in a garden holds a mirror up to a unicorn, which gazes at its reflection as it kneels in the lady's lap. To the left a lion holds a pennant displaying the Le Viste coat of arms. The millefleur background contains a number of rabbits, which symbolize fertility. This work belong to a series of six tapestries that provides the earliest known example of the senses personified as female rather than male figures. Some scholars have argued that the series was commissioned as a wedding present from Antoine le Viste to Jacqueline Raguier, while others suggest that Jean IV le Viste commissioned the work. Source: Wikimedia Commons Rights: Public domain Subject (See Also): Animals Dame a la Licorne, Tapestry Series Dogs Heraldry Jean le Viste, President of the Cours des Aides and Commissioner of the Dame a la Licorne Series Rabbits Senses Unicorns Geographic Area: France; Low Countries Century: 15 Date: la. 1400s Related Work: All six tapestry panels available from Musée national du Moyen Âge: http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/ang/pages/page_id18368_u1l2.htm Current Location: Paris, Musée national du Moyen Âge, Cl. 10831 - 10834 Original Location: Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Textiles Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Silk; Wool; Tapestries Donor: Layman; Antoine le Viste or Jean IV Le Viste, President of the Cours des Aides Height/Width/Length(cm): // Inscription: Related Resources: Carl Nordenfalk, "The Five Senses in Late Medieval and Renaissance Art," JWCI 48 (1985): 1-22.

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