A cabinet of stories and details
The Unicorn Tapestry Encyclopedia
Begin with a famous scene, follow a curious symbol, or discover how pictures were woven from thread.
Start Here
Friendly introductions to the stories, symbols, and surviving masterpieces.
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La Dame à la licorne ou La Chasse à la licorne : comment les comparer
Une comparaison structurée des deux grands cycles de licornes : récit, composition, animaux, objets, lieux de conservation et questions utiles pour l'étude.
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Lady and the Unicorn vs. Hunt of the Unicorn: Key Differences
Compare the two most famous unicorn tapestry sets: story, number of panels, date, symbolism, style, and where to see them.
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Visiting The Met Cloisters: A Guide to the Unicorn Tapestries
Plan a thoughtful visit to The Met Cloisters, with practical ways to see the Unicorn Tapestries and look closely at the medieval collection.
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Tapisseries de la licorne : fiche de méthode pour les élèves
Une fiche de travail pour préparer un exposé sur les tapisseries de la licorne : question de recherche, prises de notes, vocabulaire, plan et vérification des sources.
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Unicorn Tapestries: A Student Research Guide
A source-aware guide for school research on the Unicorn Tapestries, with a research question, key terms, note-taking method, outline, and museum sources.
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Voir La Dame à la licorne au musée de Cluny : guide de visite
Un guide pratique pour préparer et réussir une visite de La Dame à la licorne au musée de Cluny : informations à vérifier, parcours de 30 minutes et détails à observer.
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The Unicorn Tapestries: Scene-by-Scene Index
Navigate the Hunt of the Unicorn and The Lady and the Unicorn one scene at a time, with links to every surviving Hunt panel and each Lady tapestry.
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Unicorn Tapestry: History, Meaning, and Famous Sets
Start here for the history of unicorn tapestries: the two famous cycles, how historic tapestry was made, where to see the works, and how to read them carefully.
The Hunt
Follow the famous unicorn from the first horn call to the mysterious garden.
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La Chasse à la licorne : histoire et signification des tapisseries
Un guide de La Chasse à la licorne : les tentures conservées, le récit, la dernière licorne vivante et les interprétations prudentes du cycle.
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The Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries: Story and Meaning
Follow the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries scene by scene, from the first pursuit to the mysterious Unicorn in Captivity.
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The Unicorn Is Killed and Brought to the Castle
Examine the Hunt tapestry's solemn procession, where the slain unicorn is carried to a castle and the chase becomes a public ceremony.
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The Unicorn in Captivity: Symbols in the Enclosed Garden
Look closely at The Unicorn in Captivity, from its low fence and loose chain to the pomegranate tree, flowers, wounds, and debated meaning.
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The Start of the Hunt: Opening the Unicorn Tapestry Story
Look closely at The Start of the Hunt, from its gathering hunters and hounds to the visual clues that introduce the Unicorn Tapestries.
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The Unicorn Defends Itself: Resistance in the Hunt Tapestries
A close reading of The Unicorn Defends Itself, including its compressed action, powerful central animal, and place in the Hunt of the Unicorn.
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The Unicorn Is Attacked: Reading the Chase Across the Stream
Examine The Unicorn Is Attacked tapestry, where the fountain's stillness gives way to hounds, hunters, water, and a tightly organized chase.
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The Mystic Capture of the Unicorn: What the Fragments Show
Explore the surviving fragments known as The Mystic Capture of the Unicorn and the maiden legend that changes the course of the hunt.
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The Unicorn Is Found: The Fountain Scene Explained
Explore The Unicorn Is Found tapestry, where hunters discover the unicorn at a fountain surrounded by animals, plants, and layered symbolism.
The Lady and the Unicorn
Six dreamlike scenes filled with music, flowers, animals, and unanswered questions.
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La Dame à la licorne : histoire, symbolique et six tapisseries
Un guide clair en français sur La Dame à la licorne : les cinq sens, À mon seul désir, sa date, sa fabrication et le musée où voir les tapisseries.
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Hearing in The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
Explore the Hearing tapestry, where the lady plays a portable organ with an attendant and music becomes a courtly, collaborative performance.
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Sight in The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
Explore the Sight tapestry, where the unicorn looks into a mirror held by the lady and vision becomes an intimate, carefully staged encounter.
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Smell in The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
A close reading of the Smell tapestry, where a lady makes a wreath, a monkey sniffs a flower, and the millefleurs field becomes part of the sense.
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Taste in The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
Explore the Taste tapestry, where a lady takes a sweet, a monkey eats its own morsel, and a courtly scene turns eating into an allegory.
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À mon seul désir: The Sixth Lady and the Unicorn Tapestry
Explore À mon seul désir, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestry with a blue tent, a necklace, and an inscription that still resists one settled meaning.
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The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries: Senses and Meaning
Explore The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, their five senses, millefleurs animals, and the mystery of À mon seul désir.
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Touch in The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
Examine the Touch tapestry, where the lady holds the unicorn's horn and a formal courtly arrangement becomes an image of contact and control.
Craft & Context
How tapestries were designed, woven, displayed, and transformed during the Renaissance.
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Comment fabriquait-on les tapisseries au Moyen Âge ?
Comprendre la fabrication d'une tapisserie : dessin, chaîne, trame, laine, soie, teintures, métiers et travail d'atelier.
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What Did the Unicorn Symbolize in Medieval Art?
A clear guide to unicorn symbolism in the Middle Ages: purity, Christ, courtly love, power, and why no single meaning fits every image.
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Qui a fabriqué et commandé les tapisseries de la licorne ?
Ce que les archives, les armoiries et la technique permettent — et ne permettent pas — de dire sur les créateurs et commanditaires des deux cycles.
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Que symbolise la licorne aujourd'hui ? LGBT, amour et spiritualité
Lire les sens contemporains de la licorne avec précision : fierté, différence, culture populaire, amour et vocabulaire des rencontres.
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Les symboles cachés des tapisseries de la licorne
Une méthode de lecture pour la fontaine, les fleurs, la chaîne, la clôture et le grenadier, sans transformer chaque détail en code certain.
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La symbolique de la licorne au Moyen Âge
Pureté, Christ, désir, rareté et puissance : comment lire la licorne médiévale en tenant compte des textes et du contexte des images.
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Hidden Symbols in the Unicorn Tapestries: Flowers, Animals, and Details
Look closely at the flowers, animals, fountain, fence, and pomegranate tree in the famous unicorn tapestries, with interpretations separated from speculation.
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What Does a Unicorn Symbolize Today? Modern Meanings
A grounded guide to modern unicorn meanings in LGBTQ+ culture, spirituality, relationships, luck, Scotland, fantasy, and popular culture.
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Who Made and Commissioned the Unicorn Tapestries?
What scholars know—and do not know—about the makers, workshops, patrons, and Southern Netherlandish origins of the famous unicorn tapestries.
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How Medieval Tapestries Were Made: Wool, Silk, Dyes, and Workshop Practice
A practical introduction to late medieval tapestry making: cartoon design, warp and weft, wool and silk, colour, workshops, and why the medium still rewards close looking.
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Renaissance Tapestries: Famous Stories Woven on a Grand Scale
A friendly guide to Renaissance tapestries, from Raphael’s Acts of the Apostles to royal hunts, classical heroes, and court festivals.
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Types of Tapestries: A Visual Guide to Styles and Subjects
Learn the major types of tapestries, from medieval millefleurs and hunting scenes to Renaissance histories, verdure, armorial, and modern designs.
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How to Recognize Medieval Unicorn Tapestry Features
A visual checklist for recognising medieval unicorn tapestry design: composition, animals, millefleurs, heraldry, materials, and the difference between historic works and modern fantasy decor.
Living with Tapestries
Practical guides to reproductions, display, care, and choosing a piece you love.
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How to Choose a Modern Unicorn Wall Hanging
A practical guide to selecting a modern unicorn wall hanging: image rights, materials, size, installation, light, and honest product descriptions.
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Using the Unicorn in Captivity Motif in a Modern Interior
A room-by-room guide to using a Unicorn in Captivity reproduction: preserving the composition, choosing scale, lighting its dark field, and styling around its colours.
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