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The Hunters Return to the Castle (from the Unicorn Tapestries)

1495–1505
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 17
Two episodes of the hunt narrative are brought together in this hanging. At left, two hunters drive their lances into the neck and chest of the unicorn, as a third delivers the coup de grâce from the back. In some contexts, the unicorn is an allegory for Christ; the large holly tree (often a symbol of Christ's Passion) rising from behind his head may conceivably be linked to this association. In the other episode, at right, a lord and a lady receive the body of the unicorn in front of their castle. They are surrounded by their attendants, with more curious onlookers peering through windows of the turret behind them. The dead animal is slung on the back of a horse, his horn already cut off but still entangled in thorny oak branches—perhaps an allusion to the Crown of Thorns.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Hunters Return to the Castle (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
  • Date: 1495–1505
  • Geography: Made in Paris, France (cartoon); Made in Southern Netherlands (woven)
  • Culture: French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
  • Medium: Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts
  • Dimensions: Overall: 145 x 153in. (368.3 x 388.6cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Tapestries
  • Credit Line: Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1937
  • Object Number: 37.80.5
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

More Artwork
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The Unicorn Purifies Water (from the Unicorn Tapestries), Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts, French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
The Unicorn Purifies Water (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
1495–1505
The Hunters Enter the Woods (from the Unicorn Tapestries), Wool warp, wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts, French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
The Hunters Enter the Woods (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
1495–1505
The Unicorn Defends Himself (from the Unicorn Tapestries), Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts, French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
The Unicorn Defends Himself (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
1495–1505
The Unicorn Crosses a Stream (from the Unicorn Tapestries), Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts, French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
The Unicorn Crosses a Stream (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
1495–1505
The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (from the Unicorn Tapestries), Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts, French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
1495–1505

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