Ambiguity of Unicorn Rests in a Garden Tapestry by Jane Beal Essay

Introduction

The Unicorn Rests in a Garden is an excellent example of medieval art, being an embroidered tapestry. The date of its production has been determined around the end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth century, and the name of its maker has not survived in history. The piece in question is one of seven known tapestries of the same time period related to the unicorn hunt and is, at the same time, a separate work, as it has a separate meaning and a different presentation. This piece of embroidery, preserved in excellent condition along with the other tapestries in its series, can be appreciated and called one of the greatest artistic legacies of Europe in the Middle Ages.

The Description of the Art Object

The canvas depicts a garden with a small enclosure surrounded by an abundance of flora and enclosed by a fence. In the center of the enclosure is a fruit-bearing pomegranate tree to which a unicorn is chained by its collar by a thin chain.¹ Proceeding from the small height of the fence and the unreliability of both the chain and the thin tree, the animal could escape at any moment but does not do so. The pose of the unicorn is relaxed – it is half-lying on the grass, which is not usually characteristic of horses and is apparently intended to emphasize the calmness and confidence of the beast. At the same time, the grass in front of the wicket in the fence is deliberately or accidentally depicted as relatively high, which emphasizes the length of time the animal has been in captivity. The collar on it looks gilded and is wide enough and non-traumatic, which may indicate the delicate attitude of the captors.

The visual traces of blood stains on the unicorn’s fur are not the result of its wounds but grains of overripe pomegranates that have burst on the tree above. Moreover, the tapestry is embroidered with many easily recognizable flowers and plants, known for their various medicinal properties and associated with superstitions since ancient times. Wild orchids, thistles, bistort, violets, and pomegranates are all associated in one way or another with family beliefs and healing methods, which emphasizes the fullness of this painting’s symbols. Even the seemingly inconspicuous frog among the flowers in the lower right corner was very famous as a symbol in the Middle Ages and was mentioned more than once in the literature of the time.² This fact only confirms the age of the work, despite its excellent condition.

The material of the tapestry is fine wool and silk embroidered with expensive thread, which in some places is found in silver and gilded versions. This art object was clearly intended for a wealthy or noble family because few people could afford such things without a high income. Moreover, the relation to the series of seven tapestries depicting a unicorn hunt is not confirmed because this particular work has such specific content and could have been made separately to order.

The Iconography of the Tapestry

Several major leading lines of meaning related to religion and human relationships are intertwined in this work. The pagan and Christian symbols can be seen depending on interpretation and are very ambivalent. For example, the submission and binding of the unicorn was an allegory of the taming of the beloved. However, on the part of Christian scholars, the unicorn was commonly associated with Jesus Christ. Accordingly, its hunting and death in other tapestries of the series are interpreted by Christians as the passions of Christ. The myth that only a virgin could tame the unicorn was allegorically transferred to the relationship between Christ and his mother, the Virgin Mary.³ The assumption that the tapestries were commissioned for a wedding is supported by the allegorical representation of the Annunciation as a secular unicorn hunt.⁴ Specifically, this work may be the primary or final work in the series since the unicorn on it is alive and in an excellent state.

The insecurity of the chain and the height of the fence symbolize the coincidence of the lover’s desire to be tamed. It may be a metaphor for the marriage ceremony itself, which does not prevent the husband and wife from having affairs on the side, being only a moral and ethical constraint. In addition, just as it is customary in many cultures to visualize one’s marital status in various ways, so the collar on the unicorn is a symbol of its status, in this case, of captivity. The expensive and beautiful nature of the collar and chain underscores the captors’ awareness of the animal’s importance and their respect for its rarity. Thus, despite the fact that the unicorn is a captive, it is valued, and it suits it just enough not to make any attempts to escape. This meaning may also well act as a metaphor for marriage.

The general meaning of the symbolism of flora and fauna on the tapestry comes down to the central meaning, which implies fertility. Marital happiness and fertility are meant in this context, judging by the unicorn and its mythical properties. Pomegranates full of seeds represent a successful and fruitful marriage. The grains of pomegranates and the juice that can be seen on the animal’s body reinforce the painting’s meaning and emphasize the maturity and richness of the fruit that burst forth.⁵ The thistle, wild orchid, and several other plants, embroidered in great numbers on the tapestry, symbolize fertility in marriage, as they were known as fertility remedies in the Middle Ages. On the other hand, the kind of frog depicted in the lower right corner was considered the benchmark for fertility in those days. Furthermore, it was known to many for its noisy mating. Undoubtedly, this detail likewise has to do with the wish for a good marriage and life together for the people for whose wedding the tapestry was commissioned.

Suppose one further interprets the work in terms of religious affiliation. In that case, it may indeed constitute the last tapestry in the series. The other tapestries depict the preparation and beginning of the hunt, the unicorn at the fountain before and after the attack, the animal’s attempts to defend itself, its distraction by the virgin, and the final kill. However, if this work is the seventh work in the series, it may well symbolize the resurrection of Christ as the final stage. Assuming no additional tapestries have been lost, the number of works fully supports this theory, as tradition has it that Christ’s resurrection took place on the seventh day.

The Context of Creation

Medieval art often sought to illustrate moral principles and historical events. Biblical events at the time were seen by many as historical, which may have influenced the merging of secular and religious narratives in the tapestry cycle. The concept of a god of love and a god of heaven was adopted at the time these tapestries were made, which combined pagan and Christian beliefs and found its embodiment in such works.⁶ However, with various theories still unknown as to the origin of the tapestries and the version of ordering them for a wedding seems the most logical.

Tapestries were created in the Southern Netherlands at one time. Approximate dates of creation are determined by experts between 1495 and 1505.⁷ The creation of the designs presumably took place in Paris, and the final location was also in France. They belonged to the family of the Duke of La Rochefoucauld. However, they were not first seen in documents until nearly two hundred years after the date of their creation.⁸ The period of the French Revolution was marked by the theft of these objects from the Duke’s castle. For a time, peasants had been covering potatoes with them in the barn, which contributed to some damage to all the tapestries. ⁹ One work in the series was cut into several pieces for use as a canopy. After the tapestries were returned to their rightful owners, they were kept in the necessary conditions, which contributed to their preservation.

Many interpretations of the context of the art object’s creation revolve around the initials AE, which can be seen in the works in the series. Given that the letters are quite large, the version with the author’s signature can be ruled out due to the pointlessness of such a signature on a commissioned work. Perhaps the tapestry was part of the wedding gift for Anne of Brittany to King Louis XII of France in 1499, as the monograms coincide with the first and last letters of the archaic method of writing the queen’s name.¹⁰ According to other versions, the monograms are linked to the Dukes of La Rochefoucauld and were intended for the wedding of members of that house.¹¹ In any case, a reliable explanation of all heraldic symbols is missing, complicating the embroidery’s overall interpretation.

The work has been the subject of high intensity of scholarly debate since it was rediscovered after being stolen from the Duke’s palace during the Revolution. The iconography, the identity of the makers and artists, and the design authors have given rise to many different theories. One of the most controversial, however, was the fact that they belonged to the same series and order of sequence. It occurs due to the fact that all the tapestries in the series differ in size, style, and composition, and the Unicorn Rests in a Garden is the most unusual. The essence of the filling and the AE monograms present in each work unite the art pieces. Conflicting narratives produce different readings of the meaning of the works, occupying the minds of both religious and chivalrous supporters.

Conclusion

The tapestry examined and analyzed, with its quality of artistry, attention to detail, and expensive materials truly represents the most important historical legacy of European art. Fertility and fertility are the primary meaning of all the details in this work when viewed from the perspective of symbolism and popular superstition. On the religious side, however, if the order, affiliation, and quantitative component of the tapestry series to which this work belongs are correctly established by researchers, we can regard what is depicted as an allegory of the resurrection of Christ.

Bibliography

Beal, Jane. “The Unicorn as a Symbol for Christ in the Middle Ages.” In Illuminating Jesus in the Middle Ages, 154–88. BRILL, 2019.

Cook, Kelsey. “The Control of Morality as Demonstrated through Allegorical Symbolism in Late Medieval Tapestry and Morality Plays.” Master’s thesis, Lindenwood University, 2022. Web.

Federici, Angelica. “The Virgin Capture Myth in the Hunt of the Unicorn during the Middle Ages.” Vestigia 3, no. 1 (2021): 60–80. Web.

Jow, Tiffany. “Why the Mystery of the Met’s Unicorn Tapestries Remains Unsolved.” Artsy, Web.

Lazzari, Margaret R., and Dona Schlesier. Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach. 5th ed. Florence, AL: Cengage Learning, 2016.

Norton, Christopher. “Viewing the Bayeux Tapestry, Now and Then.” Journal of the British Archaeological Association 172, no. 1 (2019): 52–89. Web.

Oteri, Danielle. “The Secret of the Unicorn Tapestries.” The Paris Review, Web.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “The Unicorn Rests in a Garden,” World History Encyclopedia, Web.

The Public Domain Review. “The Unicorn Tapestries (1495–1505).” Web.

Zucker, Steven, and Beth Harris. “The Unicorn Tapestries.” SmartHistory, 2022. Web.

Footnotes

1. Margaret R. Lazzari and Dona Schlesier, Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach, 5th ed. (Florence, AL: Cengage Learning, 2016), 71.
2. Kelsey Cook, “The Control of Morality as Demonstrated through Allegorical Symbolism in Late Medieval Tapestry and Morality Plays” (Master’s thesis, Lindenwood University, 2022): 8, Web.
3. Jane Beal, “The Unicorn as a Symbol for Christ in the Middle Ages,” in Illuminating Jesus in the Middle Ages (BRILL, 2019), 155.
4. Beal, 154.
5. Angelica Federici, “The Virgin Capture Myth in the Hunt of the Unicorn during the Middle Ages,” Vestigia 3, no. 1 (2021): 62, Web.
6. Danielle Oteri, “The Secret of the Unicorn Tapestries,” The Paris Review, Web.
7. Tiffany Jow, “Why the Mystery of the Met’s Unicorn Tapestries Remains Unsolved,” Artsy, Web.
8. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “The Unicorn Rests in a Garden,” World History Encyclopedia, Web.
9. “The Unicorn Tapestries (1495–1505),” The Public Domain Review, Web.
10. Christopher Norton, “Viewing the Bayeux Tapestry, Now and Then,” Journal of the British Archaeological Association 172, no. 1 (2019), Web.
11. Steven Zucker and Beth Harris, “The Unicorn Tapestries,” SmartHistory, 2022, Web.