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.
Reviewed and updated
- The Hunt of the Unicorn
- Seven surviving hangings and fragments; The Met, New York
- The Lady and the Unicorn
- Six tapestries; Musée de Cluny, Paris
Lady and the Unicorn vs Hunt of the Unicorn is a comparison between two different tapestry cycles, not two names for the same work. Both were made around 1500, both use luxuriant flowers and animals, and both have become symbols of medieval art. Their stories, moods, and museum homes are very different.
Unicorn tapestries comparison
| Feature | The Hunt of the Unicorn | The Lady and the Unicorn |
|---|---|---|
| Story | A violent, mysterious hunt and captive unicorn | Six scenes linked to the senses and desire |
| Structure | Seven surviving hangings and fragments | Six tapestries |
| Mood | Action, danger, pursuit, and ambiguity | Poise, ceremony, attention, and intimacy |
| Museum | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York | Musée de Cluny, Paris |
| Main question | What does the hunt and captivity mean? | What does À mon seul désir mean? |
The Hunt of the Unicorn
The Hunt moves through an unfolding narrative. Hunters find the unicorn at a fountain, chase it, attack it, and carry it to a castle. The final unicorn then appears alive inside a small garden. That surprising turn has led to interpretations involving love, marriage, survival, renewal, and the freedom of a creature that cannot truly be possessed.
The Lady and the Unicorn
The Lady series is not an action story. A richly dressed woman, a lion, and a unicorn appear before red millefleurs grounds. Five panels are commonly understood as sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The sixth, bearing the motto À mon seul désir, remains open to debate. It may concern desire, choice, renunciation, or something that cannot be reduced to a single modern word.
Which should you study first?
Choose the Hunt if you want narrative, animal symbolism, and a visual mystery. Choose the Lady series if you want to explore the senses, courtly display, fashion, and the puzzle of desire. Study both to see how broad the medieval unicorn could be.
Read The Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries and The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries for panel-by-panel guides.
Compare what the unicorn does
In the Lady series, the unicorn stays close to the lady and lion and helps present banners. It can suggest nobility, rarity, strength, purity, or desire, but it is not the object of pursuit. The figures’ controlled poses make the animal part of a ceremonial world of perception and display.
In the Hunt, every figure’s attention converges on the unicorn. It is quarry, adversary, and finally the subject of a puzzle about possession. The animal defends itself; its wounds and later survival keep the sequence from becoming a simple hunting triumph. This is the most useful difference to state in a short comparison: one unicorn accompanies scenes of the senses, while the other drives a narrative that ends in ambiguity.
Compare objects before meanings
A good comparison works from visible evidence. Set the Lady’s mirror, organ, flowers, casket, and necklace beside the Hunt’s fountain, weapons, dogs, chain, fence, and pomegranate tree. Then ask what each object does in its scene before assigning symbolism. The fountain, for example, gives hunters a plausible place to locate an animal that must drink; water can also carry associations with life and cleansing. The pomegranate may suggest abundance, fertility, suffering, or renewal, but it does not unlock one final meaning.
Both cycles belong broadly to the world around 1500 and use costly wool and silk. Similar subject matter does not prove a shared maker, patron, or purpose. Their later histories, formats, and museum homes differ. In both, the technical labor of weaving makes color, texture, and small details part of the meaning, rather than a neutral surface for an image. A comparison should therefore avoid ranking one set as more “medieval” or more meaningful. They demonstrate two distinct uses of a shared creature in elite visual culture.
Questions curious readers ask
Are the two unicorn tapestry cycles the same work?
No. The Hunt of the Unicorn in New York and The Lady and the Unicorn in Paris are separate late-medieval tapestry sets.
What is the main difference between them?
The Hunt is a dramatic hunting narrative. The Lady and the Unicorn is a six-part series associated with the senses and desire.
How many tapestries are in each set?
The Hunt survives in seven hangings and fragments. The Lady and the Unicorn consists of six tapestries.
Where can the two sets be seen?
The Hunt belongs to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while The Lady and the Unicorn is held by the Musée de Cluny in Paris.
What are the six senses in The Lady and the Unicorn?
Five scenes represent sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The sixth, À mon seul désir, has been associated with desire, choice, restraint, or a sixth sense, but its meaning remains debated.