DescriptionAccording to tradition, the unicorn cannot be disturbed while performing a magical act. The attack by the hunters thus presumably begins soon after the action depicted in The Unicorn Is Found, and the scene is one filled with chaos and commotion. The ferocity of the battle is conveyed by the converging lances aimed at the animal, the sounding of the hunting horns, and the menacing hounds. Already wounded on his back, the unicorn leaps across a stream in a desperate attempt to escape his encircling enemies.

 

 

The use of hounds to scout, chase, and eventually attack the quarry was typical practice in medieval stag hunts, and the palatial buildings in the background might be a further allusion to the hunt as a royal or aristocratic pastime. Unlike The Hunters Enter the Woods and The Unicorn in Captivity, this and the other hangings are set in realistic landscapes that enhance the drama of the hunt.

ProvenanceIn 1680 seven pieces listed in the inventory of Françis VI de La Rochefoucauld as hanging in the great chamber of his residence on the rue de Seine, Paris; In 1728 seven pieces listed in the inventory of François VIII de la Rochefoucauld at the château de Verteuil (Charante), five in the large bedroom in the new building, two in a large low hall near the chapel where furniture was being stored.; Said to have been looted from the château de Verteuil in 1793 and to have been used in the neighborhood to protect potatoes from freeaing and to cover espaliered trees; acquired again by members of the La Rochefoucauld family and installed in a salon in the château de Verteuil in 1856.