The Unicorn Surrenders to a Maiden (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
Unknown Artist
1495–1505
Medium
Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts
Dimensions
Overall: 66 1/2 x 25 1/2 in. (168.9 x 64.8 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Tapestries
Culture
French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1938
Accession Number
38.51.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1495–1505, *The Unicorn Surrenders to a Maiden* belongs to the renowned Unicorn Tapestries, a celebrated series now housed at The Met Cloisters. Woven in the South Netherlands from a French design, these luxurious hangings reflect the refined tastes of late medieval European nobility. The scene captures the moment when the mythical unicorn, traditionally wild and untamable, gently rests its head in the lap of a pure maiden—an allegory of innocence, courtly love, and the power of virtue drawn from medieval bestiaries and romance literature. The tapestry’s rich materials—wool, si...