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Unicorns in Art Across Time: From French Tapestries to Damien Hirst’s Sculptures
Maerten de Vos, Unicorn, 1572, Staatliches Museum Schwerin, Schwerin, Germany. Detail.
Unicorns—these magical, mystical creatures have been a subject of art since antiquity and they continue to inspire artists even today. We can find these majestic animals in artworks from around the world, created by artist from various cultures: all the way from ancient Chinese, Indian, and Mesopotamian, to Greek, and Western European.
Summary
- History of unicorn-mania
- Unicorns according to ancient scholars
- Depictions of these majestic animals in art from medieval times to modern day
Unicorn-mania
People have always been fascinated by unicorns. They believed that these rare, single-horned creatures have supernatural powers and that their horn was an antidote to any poison. This has led to great interest in collecting unicorn horns and turning them into fine cups – even Queen Elizabeth I had one. However, besides their alleged utilitarian function, unicorn horns (or rather the narwhal tusks) were a common piece for cabinets of curiosities (Kunstkammer).
This state of knowledge persisted until the 17th-century discovery made by Danish scientist Ole Worm. Worm exposed the truth about narwhals’ tusks being harvested on the shores of Greenland and even he didn’t question the existence of the unicorns! He was just like the ancient scholars who believed in unicorns and were repeating after each other the first description of a unicorn taken from Ctesias’ (ca. 400 BCE) writing.
There are in India certain wild asses which are as large as horses, and larger. Their bodies are white, their heads brown and their eyes dark blue. They have a horn on their forehead which is about a cubit long. (…) The base of this horn, for some two hands breadths above the brow, is pure white; the upper part is sharp and of a vivid crimson; and the remainder, or middle portion, is black.
Ctesias of Cnidas
Indika, ca. 400 BCE.
Some historians who didn’t find this description very plausible added to the unicorn iconography, claiming that unicorns were small creatures that can be captured only by a virgin. Without further ado, let’s dive into a selection of the best representations of unicorns and see how the artists transformed this description into works of art.
French tapestries straight from Hogwarts
Let’s start off with the famous medieval series of tapestries called The Lady and the Unicorn (La Dame à la licorne). This set consists of six woven tapestries designed in France and produced in the Netherlands (now held at the Musée du Cluny, Paris, France). The tapestries were discovered in the 1840s and brought to public notice in the middle of the 19th century thanks to writer Georges Sand. Nowadays they are famous thanks to the Harry Potter movies. Five of them are allegories of the senses but the meaning of the last one is uncertain. The small unicorn who accompanies the lady is a heraldic animal.
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The Lady and the Unicorn: À mon seul désir, ca. 1500, Musée de Cluny-Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris, France.
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The Lady and the Unicorn: Touch, ca. 1500, Musée de Cluny-Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris, France.
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The Lady and the Unicorn: Taste, ca. 1500, Musée de Cluny-Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris, France.
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The Lady and the Unicorn: Smell, ca. 1500, Musée de Cluny-Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris, France.
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The Lady and the Unicorn: Hearing, ca. 1500, Musée de Cluny-Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris, France.
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The Lady and the Unicorn: Sight, ca. 1500, Musée de Cluny-Musée National du Moyen Âge, Paris, France.
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How to Draw Chibi Unicorns: Fun Step-by-Step Templates for Drawing Cute Anime-Style Unicorns! – Softcover
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. We at Sora Illustrations are crazy about unicorns!Thus, in this book, we made things easy for you. We compiled step by step illustrations on how to draw these cute creatures. We hope you enjoy bringing them to life!In How to Draw Chibi Unicorns book, you will find: Large and Beautiful 8″x10″ sturdy pages with 16 unique unicorn drawing templates.Simple, easy-to-follow, and beginner-friendly designs!An extra drawing page for every design in case you don’t have paper at hand!Cute and charming unicorn designs.Neat and sturdy paper perfect for your drawing needs. Click ‘add to cart’ button and get your copy today! We at Sora Illustrations are crazy about unicorns! Thus, in this book, we made things easy for you. We compiled step by step illustrations on how to draw these cute creatures. We hope you enjoy bringing them to life! This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781951725464
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