Unicorn Tapestry Jewellery from Lunar Rain
Unicorn Tapestry Jewellery from Lunar Rain by Melissa Chen
The Unicorn Tapestries are one of my favourite works of art therefore I have designed some unicorn tapestry jewellery for Lunar Rain. Before we get to the jewellery, here is some information about the tapestries.
The Unicorn Tapestries consists of seven individual tapestries. They are “are among the most beautiful and complex works of art from the late Middle Ages that survive. Luxuriously woven in fine wool and silk with silver and gilded threads, the tapestries vividly depict scenes associated with a hunt for the elusive, magical unicorn.” – The Metropolitan Museum.
The tapestries were created between 1495 and 1505. The cartoon for the tapestries were done in Paris, France. The tapestries themselves were woven in Brussels in the Southern Netherlands. The tapestries are massive in size, they each measure 12 feet tall and up to 14 feet wide. They were woven by many weavers working on it at the same time. Each tapestry is estimated to have taken many months or a year or two to finish. A skilled weaver could finish a square inch in an hour.
My unicorn tapestry jewellery is based on two tapestries: The Unicorn at the Fountain and The Unicorn in Captivity. The necklace is very delicately enamelled with dangling pomegranates from the tapestry The Unicorn in Captivity. The pomegranates are a medieval symbol of fertility and marriage. For the ring, I’ve incorporated flowers and leaves from the tapestry to make up the band. Because the tapestries are from the late Middle Ages in Europe, they are examples of Gothic art. Therefore, our unicorn jewellery is a part of our Gothic Romance Collection.
The tapestries are a bit of a mystery because no one knows exactly what they mean or who they were made for. The initials AE appear on the tapestries and they perplex everyone who studies the tapestries; there are theories but no one knows who the letters stand for. In 1680, the tapestries were kept in François VI de La Rochefoucauld’s castle in Paris; leading some to theorize that the AE initials belong to Antoinette of Ambroise, the wife of François de La Rochefoucauld’s second son, Antoine, who was born around 1475. Others think it identifies Anne of Brittany who married King Louis XII of France in 1499 or it signifies Adam and Eve.
The Unicorn Tapestry Outfit
Necklace – Lunar Rain Unicorn Garden Heart Necklace
Ring – Lunar Rain Unicorn Pomegranate Ring
Top – Lena Hoschek I Promise Myself Bustier Top – Fall 2022
Skirt – Erdem Floral Skirt – Resort 2020
Shoes – Gianvito Rossi 105 Suede Pumps
The Seven Tapestries in order are:
The Start of the Hunt
The Unicorn at the Fountain
The Unicorn Attacked
The Unicorn Defending Himself
The Unicorn Captured by the Virgin
The Unicorn Killed and Brought to the Castle
The Unicorn in Captivity
Here are images of the 7 tapestries in order.
Our Unicorn Tapestry jewellery is a part of our Gothic Romance Collection. Unicorn tapestry photos are from metmuseum.org
