---
title: The Lady and the Unicorn: Touch
author: Jan van der Crabben
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11085/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-touch/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2023-05-31
---

# The Lady and the Unicorn: Touch

_Authored by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/)_

## Image File

[![The Lady and the Unicorn: Touch](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/11085.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/11085.jpg)

## Image Caption

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](https://www.worldhistory.org/Silk/). Musée de Cluny, [Paris](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/paris/), France. Cl. 10831-10836.

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## About the Author

Jan is the Founder & Chairman of World History Encyclopedia and is the organisation's Director of Design & Technology. He holds an MA War Studies from King's College, and he has worked in the field of history-related digital media since 2006.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janvdc)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Crabben, J. v. d. (2019, August 23). The Lady and the Unicorn: Touch. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11085/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-touch/>
### Chicago
Crabben, Jan van der. "The Lady and the Unicorn: Touch." *World History Encyclopedia*, August 23, 2019. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11085/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-touch/>.
### MLA
Crabben, Jan van der. "The Lady and the Unicorn: Touch." *World History Encyclopedia*, 23 Aug 2019, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11085/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-touch/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 23 August 2019. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.