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Detail from The Unicorn Defends Itself, ca. 1495???1505
South Netherlandish
Wool warp, wool, silk, silver, gilt wefts; 12 ft. 1 in. x 14 ft. (368 x 427 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr. 1937 (37.80.4)
Other woodcocks and mallards appear in the tapestry, upstream from the two individuals shown here. The heron, a bird believed to be wiser than others, stands alone. For more on bird and animal lore of the Middle Ages, see http://bestiary.ca/.
See the Collection Database for an image of the full tapestry.