The Lady and the Unicorn: Smell
The Lady and the Unicorn are six tapestries depicting a medieval lady in various poses. Each scene depicts one of the five senses; the sixth scene is labelled À Mon Seul Désir ("to my only desire") whose meaning is unclear. Historians attribute the tapestries to be commissioned by the Le Viste family due to the coat of arms prominently placed on the tapestries.
The tapestries were made at the crossroads between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, around 1500, most likely by a Parisian artist who also created the Christian devotional book Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany (1477-1514). They wore probably woven in Flanders.
Wool and Silk. Musée de Cluny, Paris, France. Cl. 10831-10836.
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