Title

Unicorn in Captivity

Description

The Unicorn in Captivity may have been created as a single image rather than part of a series. In this instance, the unicorn probably represents the beloved tamed. He is tethered to a tree and constrained by a fence, but the chain is not secure and the fence is low enough to leap over: The unicorn could escape if he wished. Clearly, however, his confinement is a happy one, to which the ripe, seed-laden pomegranates in the tree--a medieval symbol of fertility and marriage--testify.
Metropolitan Museum of Art [website]; http://www.metmuseum.org (accessed 5/30/2009)

Relation

The Hunt of the Unicorn

Rights

undetermined

Type

tapestry

Creator

Unknown

Date

ca. 1495–1505 (creation)

Format

368 cm (height) x 251.5 cm (width)

Subject

Medieval

Flemish

Netherlandish

allegorical

animals

cycles or series

decorative arts

literary or legendary

plants

Animals

Mythical

Gardens

Unicorns

botanical studies

flowery mead

flowery mede

Mediaeval gardens

Middle Ages

Coverage

Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Cloisters (New York, New York, United States)

Medium

wool warp, wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts

Source

Core 4 Sample Database (VCat)

Provenance

Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1937