The Lady and the Unicorn
The Lady and the Unicorn (
French: La dame à la licorne) is the title of a cycle of tapestries often considered one of the greatest works of art of the
Middle Ages in
Europe. They are estimated to have been woven in the early
16th century, in
Flanders. They depict the six senses - hearing, sight, taste, touch, smell, and "A mon seul désir" (
French for "to my only desire"), often interpreted as
love. Each of the six tapestries depicts a noble lady with the
unicorn and some include a
monkey or a
lion in the scene.
The tapestries are done in the style of mille-fleurs, French for "thousand flowers".
The cycle is currently held in the Musée Cluny (Musée du Moyen-Age), Paris.