WARNING: Long Post Ahead.
A little over three years ago, when MeMum, Big Daddy, Aunt Annie and I went to Scotland, we visited the impressive and beautiful Stirling Castle. As we were touring the castle grounds, we were completely surprised to find a tapestry studio where the famous Unicorn Tapestries are being recreated. Have you heard of the Unicorn Tapestries? The Unicorn Tapestries are considered to be the finest surviving set of medieval tapestries in the world. There are seven tapestries in the collection and they tell the story of a unicorn hunt. The project to recreate them was begun in 2002 and is expected to last until 2014. As of last fall, tapestries 1, 6 and 7 had been completed.
When we were there, we were told that there were three main weavers and at least one of them works on the tapestry every day of the year, except for Christmas and one or two other days that I can’t remember. The studio is fairly small and visitors are expected to be quiet so that the weavers aren’t disturbed. When we visited, we were the only ones in the studio, and the docent in the room allowed me to take the above picture of the weaver working on tapestry number 6. (This was pre-digital camera for me, so this is a scanned photo.)
I can’t even begin to describe the amazing weaving process. Behind all the threads on the loom was a pencil drawn version of the tapestry. At the far end of the studio, hanging on the wall, is a blown-up picture of the original tapestry. The level of detail is amazing and it was so fascinating to watch the weaver tuck the threads in and out and then tamp, tamp, tamp them down with her little stylus. I was also fascinated by the fact that they weave the tapestry sideways — the right side of the tapestry as pictured on the wall, is running along the floor.
We learned that the original tapestries are hanging at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in The Cloisters in New York City. And the whole reason I’m telling you this story is because when I went to NJ last week, I managed a quick trip to the Cloisters before my plane left on Friday.
Tapestry #1: original on left, reproduction on right.
I was so excited to see the tapestries, I think I almost cried. They are so amazing and the colors are still so vivid. The tapestries are believed to have been created in the Netherlands, between 1495 and 1515. The first known record of their existence is from 1680 when they were part of the inventory of the belongings of a French Duke.
Original tapestry #2 on left, Original tapestry #3 on right.
Because of the differences in style of some of the tapestries, it is believed that the tapestries have been created as part of three different sets, The Three Hunts of the Unicorn. Tapestries #1 and #7 are part of The Hunt of the Unicorn as a Lover, tapestry #5 is part of The Mystic Hunt of the Unicorn and tapestries 2, 3, 4, and 6 are part of The Hunt of the Unicorn as an Allegory of The Passion. It is also believed that there could be other tapestries that are missing, particularly from the first two hunt series.
It is unknown who the original tapestries were created for, but they all have the letter A with a reversed E that appears frequently on the tapestries, which leads to the theory that they were all created for the same person. Sometimes the letters are in corners, sometimes in the middle, and as you can see below, they even appear in the dogs’ collars.
It is also believed that symbols of aristocracy were contained in the blue skies of the tapestries and that they were cut out in order for the entire tapestries to escape destruction during the Reign of Terror (1793-94) of the French Revolution. If you click on the picture below, you can see applique stitches where the people of the castle (from tapestry #6) have been stitched to a new sky.
During the Revolution, populist mobs looted the chateau and took the tapestries where they remained out of sight for several generations. It was rumored that they were used to cover espaliered trees and protect potatoes. In the early 1850’s a peasant’s wife came forward with news of some “old curtains” that were covering vegetables in the barn. Can you imagine? It’s amazing that they have managed to retain their pretty, bright colors.
Original tapestry #4 on left, Original tapestry #5 on right.
Perhaps their life in a barn would explain the huge missing sections in tapestry #5. The pictures are misleading as to the size of tapestry #5 — the fragments are actually much smaller than any of the other tapestries. I can’t wait until the weavers get to tapestry #5. Will they recreate the sections just as they are, or will they make assumptions and create the missing parts of the tapestry?
Tapestry #6: original on left, reproduction on right.
When TheManoftheHouse and I went to Scotland last year, I really enjoyed seeing the progress that had been made on the new tapestries in 3 years. Tapestry #6 that had been on the loom, was now finished (it took 4 years to weave) and hanging in the Chapel Royal at the castle.
Tapestry #7: original on left, reproduction on right.
Tapestry #7 is the most famous of the tapestries. You can definitely see that it shares a similar style to Tapestry #1 with the floral background, which is different from the woodland backgrounds of the other tapestries. If you’ve seen any of these tapestries in pictures, you probably would have seen this one. I even remember seeing a quilt of a unicorn in a fence years ago at a quilt show.
Oh well, I could ramble on for many more blog posts about these stunning tapestries (and if you’re still with me, you rock!) The artistry and the detail are amazing to me. After seeing the weavers in Stirling, I just can’t help but wonder how on earth the original tapestries were ever created. Our conveniences now surely make it a much easier job. If you can call it easier. Can you imagine the patience required to sit at a loom all day, every day, year in and year out? If you’re ever in Stirling, Scotland, or NYC I sure hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit these breathtaking tapestries.
XOXO,
Anna
Wow! That is absolutely amazing. I can’t imagine doing that job. I’d never be able to sit still long enough to complete anything.
Glad to hear I’m not the only dodo who cries at art! I would have been boohooing right along with you at the Met!
Hi! And welcome back- longtime no hear :-)
Those tapestries are simply incredible. 4 years to finish!!! That blows my mind. I am so jealous that you got to see them at different stages of their making. What a wonderful thing!
Duh. Completely ignore my long time no hear comment. I just didn’t realise I was on the same blog as the bras!! Silly duffer :-*
Beautiful! My SIL is going to Scotland in a week, I’m sending this to her!
OMgosh!! Those are so totally cool! How awesome to see them up close and in person! I’ve seen the last tapestry pictured here done as a cake on “Cakewrecks” it wasn’t a wreck actually. The person did a pretty good job!
awesome!
What a fascinating post Anna! I’d never heard about these tapestries. The things one can learn in the world of blogging!
I am totally speachless…I never knew there was such a thing as the Unicorn Tapestries…It’s enough to bring a person to tears…Thanks!
I went to Stirling Castle about 5 years ago and saw one finished and watched the weaver weave and talked to her for ages as no one else was there – it was fantastic and would love to go back and see them one day. Thanks for all the pictures.
Fascinating post Anna. The tapestries look amazing. I would love to see them
Those are stunning – you’re very lucky to have seen them.
There’s a different set of medieval unicorn tapestries on display in France – and if you’d like a fun take on the what the lives of the original weavers might have been like, Tracy Chevalier’s The Lady and the Unicorn is an easy read –
http://www.tchevalier.com/unicorn/index.html
Love this!!! And I get goose bumps all over just reading..:o) Its amazing… Wish that I one day could see them with my own eyes!!!
Dear Anne,
I allways thought, that this tapistery is in France.
I never thought, rthat it is in New York.
You are right, it is unbelievable, how much patience is needed to do that,
How great for you to see them and the process of making.
Janine
Wow. Just wow. x
Thanks for that info. We are heading to NYC next week and now I have one more item on my list of things to see.
Amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Wow!! Very interesting post!! I didn’t know anything about these tapestries, but their history is very interesting! Very hard but beautiful work!
oh anna.
i can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to finally see them in new york… and to already have seen them being made. you must’ve had so much more appreciation for them than just your regular new yorker! perhaps people should have to answer seventeen questions about the tapestries before they are allowed to view them….
i taught art as a docent at my kids’ elem. sch. for many many years… to many many classrooms. i would always start out teaching the kindergartners about impressionism… and first teach them about mary cassat, and then onto claude monet when they would do their water lily paintings with makeup sponges (I loved their bright colors and big strokes! – those paintings were just amazing!) so after having taught about him for many, many years, along with a million other artists, i got to go to san francisco to a monet exibit (one of many i’ve been to since) and see a particular painting that had never before been in the u.s. it was monstrously huge, something i never got a clue about while teaching about that particular painting. and when you walk close to the painting, the lilies would turn into big, blurry, bumpy, blobs. and when you would slowly back away, several feet, they would come into focus. i couldn’t imagine how he could paint those huge, bumpy, blurry blobs and have them turn into those lilies from a distance.
so.. he was a huge jackass, that’s another long story, but those paintings redeemed him in some way.
i’m rambling and claude buddy isn’t even one of my favs… even though i do love much of his work… i loved those little kids’ paintings more!
:waves madly from california, with a sunrise coming up over my little bay
This is a superb post, the tapestries are breathtaking. The reproductions make you realsie how wonderfully colourful the originals must have been. It’s quite incredible that they survived through all those years and conditions. You are right about the final unicorn picture being familiar too, it’s lovely and I’ve always liked it. It’s reassuring to know that there are still craftspeople skilled and dedicated enough to make these reproductions.
How do you sit and do that ALL day EVERY day? Amazing! I really enjoyed this post and seeing the tapestries in person had to be a thrilling experience. WOW! Cool!
They’re beautiful! Mr Locket gave me a huge printed tapestry kit of the lady and the unicorn as a wedding present. Unfortunately it is now somewhere in the garage as I’ve never had chance to do any of it :o(
Lucy x
Amazing. I will now have to take more time looking at and enjoying tapestries.
They are beautiful. I can’t believe they survived all these years….covering potatoes in a barn no less!
Just incredible. All I could do was shake my head in wonder and awe. I’ve always admired tapestry and the history involved. The fact that we haven’t destroyed everything from that era is so amazing.
Amazing and what an opportunity you had to see it all in person. Awesome!
O.K. I will admit, when I first started reading your post, I thought. Boring. WOW! SO NOT! I thoroughly enjoyed your post! I need to get out more. LOL. ooxx`jodi
I’d never heard of those before. They’re amazing!
Aren’t they spectacular!! I haven’t been to Stirling Castle for a couple of years so I guess quite a lot of progress has been made! I do drive past it at least twice a month and love looking at it sitting high on it’s volcanic rock over the surrounding countryside, the yellow of the the great hall stunning against the background. Did you know that the great hall too has only recently been restored, as a child it was always just plain stone………
Thank you for sharing!
omg, what an amazing post…i just learned so much plus enjoyed doing it! thanks for that – maybe more posts like this in the future? ?
Wow Anna, this was a great post. I enjoyed it very much and if I ever do get to those places I will definitely go and see the tapestries. I can’t even imagine all the work that goes into making them.
beautiful!! I don’t think I would have that sort of patience :) How cool that you got to see them!!
I never knew the history behind the Unicorn tapistry but have admired its beauty from pictures. Your story makes me want to see it in person. I can’t imagine the thrill of seeing it on the loom–amazing work from extremely dedicated artisans.
Oh sister Anna…these are amazing! I love this post. I think I would have wanted to sit and watch the weaver for hours…of course that would have made her feel uneasy, and she might have weaved (woven?) a moustache onto one of the dogs. I just can’t get over the amount of detail in these. And that they were used to cover potatoes! Thanks for sharing these, and by the way, if you think I’m going to make you a unicorn tapestry out of my new floss you’d be mistaken..hehe xoxo
I echo Sister Sarah’s comments. WOW! And I love the shot of the weaver that you took. How techno advanced we are these days… and EVEN all of our technology… here is a woman on a sismple box, topped with a pillow… and using her hands to do what she does. I’m in awe of it, as well as your tapestry photos from the MMofA. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhmazing. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for the history.
And hey… if it means you writing a good schedule… I’m all in for making you a unicorn. Double hehe.
Oh my! How wonderful to live so close to these marvelous art works! I am jealous! To see a weaver of this caliber at work would be fascinating, lucky you to have the opportunity to go to Scotland. I have always loved these tapestries and the stories behind them. My daughter was in a play years ago that was written as a parable of the Unicorn hunt. So interesting. Thank you so much for taking your time to share, it is most appreciated as I doubt I will ever get to see these in person. Best, Ani
Anna, you find the absolute NEATEST things to show us. These are simply amazing. And the re-do’s are just as gorgeous as the first-runs!
Wow Anna those are amazing. Unreal how much work must go into those.
Anna,
That is so interesting! I have seen #7 before, but never knew all the history. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Karen
Oh my Anna, what beautiful works of art, and how lucky you were able to see them again in NY. Thanks so much for sharing, the tapestries are just beautiful!
Wow indeed! They might have been made in The Netherlands? Wow again!
I am familiar with these beautiful works, and I wish I could have been there to see them with you. I once, many years ago purchased a needlepoint kit of tapestry #7. I can’t remember what I did with it, but perhaps it was a gift for someone.
Thank you, Anna for taking us along to see these, and for your informative post.
Thanks too, for your wonderful words of encouragement too. You’re a good blog friend, indeed!
I saw the similar set of tapestries called the Lady and the Unicorn in the Musee du Moyen Age in Paris when I was there as a young pup (lol, as an au pair in 1991) and have been obsessed with them ever since. In fact, my little notebook that I keep in my handbook has one of these tapestries on it, a friend brought it back for me from Paris last year. I’d love to see the Hunt of the Unicorn ones now, didn’t realize there was another set!
I second the recommendation to read The Lady and the Unicorn to hear about the life of the weavers doing this kind of work in the Middle Ages, Tracy Chevalier really knows how to bring a story of a certain time period and famous artist/work/writer to life.
Those are amazing – the detail just blows my mind! I never realized the originals are in the US! It must have been fascinating to see the recreators at work, not to mention getting to go see the real things at last!
Oh, Anna, for once I am at a loss for words. No jokes, no smart-alek comments, no cheeky chit-chat. All I can think is…Stunning. These tapestries are absolutely stunning. Thanks for sharing.
Cassie
I know how you feel. We went to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Southern California one time. They had works of Rembrandts and other famous artists hanging right where you could reach out and touch them. Very, very moving. My favorite, though, is when we visited the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento and they had an exhibit of Grandma Moses. Yes, Miss Jean stood there and cried!
This is a fascinating post Anna. Those tapestries are incredible and I love the story behind them. I would most definately have welled up with tears if I’d been there!
One of our favourite places to visit is Cotehele in Devon. It’s a beautiful old manor house and there are tapestries hung everywhere and there is no artificial light at all. They keep the shades down on bright days too – to preserve the tapestries. It’s so atmospheric and makes my heart beat just a little bit faster to see those stunning old tapestries hung as they would have been when they were made.
xxx
Wow. How lovely. I don’t think we’ve been to Stirling Castle since … 1968. Maybe it’s time for a return visit…?
This is such a great post Anna , although I’m VERY late commenting. I love these tapestries for several reasons. the flowers, the dogs (we have a lurcher who looks very similar) and the beautiful complexity of them. Have you read ‘The Lady and the Unicorn?’ it’s a sweet read – a fictional story wound round the tapestries – rather saucy too! I recommend it x
Tracy Chevalier is the author x
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY ANNA!!!!
The unicorn tapestries are awesome, such intricate work. Absolutely astounds me. We’re talking about planning a trip to Ireland/Scotland in a couple of years, I’ll have to make sure to see these tapestries.
Thank-you for sharing about the tapestries Anna! They are truly amazing and I cannot believe how close the repros are! It does seem that the originals do have a certain “glow” to them though that probably could never be reproduced.
Wow, Anna, what a story! I knew nothing of these tapestries until now. And I”m fascinated! I’ll have to see them in NYC someday.
(And I’d better take a look at those old curtains out in the barn…you never know.) :-)
XO
Anna, thank you for this incredible post. I have sat here and just stared at the photos of these amazing works of art. The intricacy is mind-boggling to me! The history of them is fascinating, too. Someday, I’m going to see them in person. Thank you so much for sharing!