A mon seul désir

A reproduction of one of the six tapestries that make up the La Dame a la Licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn) series from 15th century France. The exact meaning of this tapestry is by far the most mysterious. The Lady is seen placing her jewelled necklace into a jewel box, and it is believed to represent the refusal of temptation, as well as the self-denial of the five senses detailed in the other works in the series.

The Lady and the Unicorn series of tapestries were made for the Le Viste family in the late 15th century, confirmed by the appearance of their coat of arms throughout the works (a blue diagonal slash with 3 crescents against a red background). The tapestries were believed to have been commisioned to celebrate Jean Le Viste's (1432 - 1500) appointment as a counsellor to the court of Louis XI in the 1480's. The use of Mille Fleurs would indicate that they were likely to have been made in workshops in Flanders, a speciality of Flemish artists.

After the death of Jean Le Viste the tapestries were believed to have passed to his daughter, Claude. Her estate was divided between relatives on her death as she died without having children. At this point exact details of the series of tapestries are unknown, although they are believed to have remained within the Le Viste family for generations. By the 17th century they had travelled with various branches of the family via marraige, and ended up in Boussac in central France.

In 1841 Prosper Mérimée (1803 - 1870), the French governments' inspector of historical monuments, discovered the works in very poor condition in Boussac. He recommended to the government they buy the tapestries, and they eventually did in 1882, passing them to the Cluny Museum, now the Musée National du Moyen Age in Paris. They can still be found there today in a specially designed oval shaped room, and they have underwent extensive restoration work over the years to restore them to their original condition.

This tapestry is lined and has a tunnel for ease of hanging .
Copyright © 2005 The Tapestry House

Price: $299.00 | $499.00 | $899.00
Product code: m18-s
Size: 44" x 34" | 60" x 44" | 80" x 60"
Shipping weight: 9 lbs
Material: Wool and cotton blend
Country: France
Category: Tapestry Wall Hangings > Medieval > Unicorn

This product is available in 3 sizes.

A mon seul désir ~ 44" x 34"	$299.00
A mon seul désir ~ 60" x 44"	$499.00
A mon seul désir ~ 80" x 60"	$899.00

All prices in US Dollars (US$)

We offer free shipping world-wide for all our tapestries. In addition there is an express option. Prices and approximate delivery times are noted below.
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Standard	Express	Standard	Express
$0	$10 - $35*	$0	$20 - $95*
9-12 days	6-7 days	14-21 days	6-7 days
*The final cost for shipping is dependant on the value of an item, please see our Shipping info for full details.

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