La Dame a la Licorne

The picture shows a tapestry representing “Sight” from the Five Senses Tapestries that were made at the end of the fifteenth century. Though few have survived into the present, tapestries like these were the most sought-after, expensive and important of the Gothic luxury arts in the later Middle Ages in northern Europe. They were carried from castle to castle, providing warm hangings against draughts and a sumptuous setting for court spectacles. Their densely patterned floral grounds provided the backdrop for stories from the Bible, classical epics, and chivalric romances.