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Overview
A fascinating multicultural exploration of unicorns in art, throughout the ages and around the world.The unicorn is a much-loved subject in both Eastern and Western cultures, gracing illuminated manuscripts, paintings, tapestries, ceramics, and coats of arms. This wide-ranging cultural history traces the remarkable interpretations and myths that have grown up around the unicorn in art, literature, science, and religion. For centuries, natural historians put forward fantistic theories to explain the unicorn' origin and appearance; theologians interpreted its significance with the help of biblical and philosophical texts; poets and painters found it a source of creative inspiration.
Interest in the unicorn was perhaps most intense during the Middle Ages, when the graceful but fierce white beast with the spiral horn became a powerful symbol of chastity and divine love—most notably in the famous unicorn tapestries at the Cluny museum in Paris and the Cloisters in New York. With graceful erudition, this engaging and informative volume explores every facet of this enchanting creature, making clear why it has long inspired such a loyal following.
Other Details: 120 illustrations, 72 in full color 192 pages 9 5/8 x 9 5/8" Published 1999