Strasbourg, ca. 1500/1510
Tapestry: wool, linen, cotton, silk, metallic thread
H 75 cm, W 63 cm
Inv. 1926.40.
This excellent piece of tapestry was originally a cushion panel, which explains the small format and the exceptional intricacy of the work, whose full impact becomes apparent only on closer inspection. It shows a melancholy “wild woman” sitting in an idyllic landscape with a unicorn resting in her lap. According to medieval belief, unicorns could be captured only by virgins.
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