Synopses & Reviews
The unicorn tapestries are one of the most popular attractions at The Cloisters, the medieval branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Traditionally known as The Hunt of the Unicorn, this set of seven exquisite and enigmatic tapestries was likely completed between 1495 and 1505. The imaginatively conceived scenesand#151;displaying individualized faces of the hunters and naturalistically depicting the flora and fauna of the landscapeand#151;are beautifully captured in silk, wool, and metal yarns.
Written by one of the worldand#8217;s leading authorities on medieval textiles and illustrated with many lovely color reproductions, The Unicorn Tapestries traces the origins of the tapestries as well as possible interpretations of their symbolic meaning. This is an essential book for any lover of medieval art and textiles.
Synopsis
This book is dedicated to the study of seven tapestries depicting the hunt of the fabled unicorn held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Created in the southern Netherlands in the late 15th/early 16th century, they are excquisite examples of their kind. Adolfo Salvatore Cavallo not only describes what the tapestries depict, but also discusses their origins, who might have commissioned them, the story they depict, the symbolic meaning of the scenes and also the significance of the unicorn in popular culture and religion. Two essays on the flora and fauna of the tapestries are given in appendices.
Synopsis
This unicorn tapestries are one of the most popular attractions at The Cloisters, the medieval branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Written by a world authority on medieval textiles, this beautifully illustrated book traces the origins of the seven enigmatic tapestries as well as the possible interpretations of their symbolism and presents details of each imaginatively woven scene.
About the Author
Adolfo Salvatore Cavallo is an independent scholar who formerly worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.