Unknown Artist
Well, today is DailyArt's 14th birthday. Fourteen years ago, we released the first version of DailyArt!
On this day, I usually feature something I like or that is significant for me. Today, I want to share with you the medieval tapestry Unicorn in Captivity. For me, DailyArt is like a unicorn; it is a fantasy that has brought so much luck and so many good things. Not only to us who work on it daily, but I hope also to you, our readers. Thank you for being with us, reading us, and supporting us!
The Unicorn in Captivity is traditionally associated with the famed Unicorn Tapestries, a series depicting the mythical creature's hunt and capture. Some scholars, however, believe this panel may have been conceived as an independent work.
It is not a dramatic hunting scene; the unicorn here rests peacefully within a small enclosed garden. Although tethered to a tree and surrounded by a low fence, the chain is loose and the enclosure easily surmountable, suggesting that the animal remains by choice rather than by force. In medieval symbolism, the unicorn often represented a devoted lover or the ideal of faithful love, making the scene an allegory of willing commitment.
The tapestry is rich in symbolic detail. The pomegranate tree above the unicorn, laden with ripe fruit, was a traditional emblem of fertility, abundance, and marriage. The red stains on the unicorn's flank are not wounds but the juice of bursting pomegranates, reinforcing the theme of love and renewal. The surrounding plants, including wild orchids, bistort, and thistles, were also associated in medieval herbals with fertility and courtship, while even the small frog hidden among the violets alludes to reproduction through its conspicuous mating calls. Together, these carefully observed botanical and animal motifs transform the enclosed garden into a celebration of love and the promise of new life.
As we have this beautiful occasion to celebrate, we would like to do it properly with some serious promos.
- This weekend only—the annual premium subscription in the app is now available for new subscribers for -40% off the initial price: so instead of $29.99, you pay only $17.99! To redeem the offer in iOS, please tap here on your mobile device and use the code. Android users can follow the regular purchasing procedure. :)
- All our products in the DailyArt Shop (including new, custom prints!) are now available for -25% off.
- All our amazing courses in DailyArt Courses are available for -25% off.
Thank you for everything!
- Zuzanna & the DailyArt Team