The Unicorn in Captivity, 1495???1505
South Netherlandish
Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts; Overall: 12 ft. 7/8 in. x 99 in. (368 x 251.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1937 (37.80.6)
See the Collection Database to learn more about this work of art.
This famous medieval millefleurs tapestry, which shows a unicorn chained to a pomegranate tree on a field of flowers, depicts both garden flowers and wildflowers. Some plants are shown only once, some are repeated. The depictions range from the extremely naturalistic to the highly stylized. Many but not all of the plants are identifiable.