[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER 1: We're
at The Cloisters at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. And we're looking at
a breathtaking series of tapestries that
date to about 1500, give or take five
years on either side. And we're looking
specifically at what we think is the last of
the series of tapestries, except that we're not
even sure of that. SPEAKER 2: We're
sure of very little, except that the tapestries
are very popular. SPEAKER 1: And gorgeous. SPEAKER 2: And the unicorn is
very popular and much loved SPEAKER 1: Yes. So this is the
unicorn in captivity. There have been many, many
theories about the narrative, about the origin,
about the patron, about the source of
these tapestries. And we really know
almost nothing. SPEAKER 2: That's one of those
things that happens sometimes in art history, where we
can find lots of clues, and sometimes the
clues don't add up. SPEAKER 1: We do
know we're looking at this extraordinary, tall
representation of a unicorn captured in this circular fence
that's so low, we imagine, if we look at it literally,
that the unicorn-- SPEAKER 2: He could
easily hop out. SPEAKER 1: He could hop out. But he's chained to
a pomegranate tree. And I guess it's
probably worth noting that although the pomegranate
tree's fruit is identifiable, the leaves are not what a
pomegranate's leaves look like. But so much of the rest of
the surface of the tapestry is taken up by these
careful botanical studies. And I think that we've
identified nearly everything in terms of what
kinds of plants. SPEAKER 2: The plant life
is completely identifiable in a long tradition of
Northern Renaissance painting and manuscript illumination,
very close attention to actual species of plants. We see that in Northern
Renaissance painting, like Van Eyck. SPEAKER 1: But actually,
it's more than that here. Because in this
set of tapestries, the plants that
are in the meadows are, in fact, the plants that
one would find in the meadows. The plants there
by the water would be those that are water
loving, et cetera. The shade plants
are in the forest. SPEAKER 2: Mhm. SPEAKER 1: So there's
a real attention to that being important
information to convey. SPEAKER 2: But strangely,
in this particular one, and in one other
from the series, we are not in a real
landscape at all. We have a very flat background. SPEAKER 1: Very
abstracted, really. SPEAKER 2: Formed by
these very real plants. So there's no hills,
no landscapes, no architecture
in the background. SPEAKER 1: Well, we are, after
all, looking at a unicorn. SPEAKER 2: We are. But in the other panels, we
do have figures and castles and sky and water
and other animals. SPEAKER 1: So perhaps this is
the most allegorical of all. SPEAKER 2: Maybe. SPEAKER 1: And I think there's
a lot of attention that has been paid to this
particular tapestry and what its meanings might be. SPEAKER 2: Well, it
doesn't quite fit, right? Because the rest
of the story tells us of the successful
hunt of a unicorn. SPEAKER 1: And even the
killing of the unicorn. SPEAKER 2: Right. And so in this last,
maybe, last panel, is this the resurrected unicorn? SPEAKER 1: Well, that's
certainly one long tradition, that the unicorn is
an allegory of Christ. SPEAKER 2: Right, a
creature who is very pure and who can only be
caught by a virgin. SPEAKER 1: Who is symbolized,
of course, as Mary. SPEAKER 2: The
Virgin Mary, right. And so in medieval stories,
medieval mythology, the unicorn, in a way,
comes to represent Christ. And the Virgin who can
capture the unicorn is Mary SPEAKER 1: And so
we've got that overlay, but we've got some
contradictions here, also, right? SPEAKER 2: We do. Because in most of the series,
the unicorn is being hunted. SPEAKER 1: And persecuted. SPEAKER 2: And captured. SPEAKER 1: But that works. We have the Roman soldiers
persecuting Christ. SPEAKER 2: Right,
there are allegories. There are parallels there. SPEAKER 1: We have
the hunt here. And so that works. But here, we have
the pomegranate tree, which is a traditional
symbol of fertility. SPEAKER 2: And marriage. SPEAKER 1: The idea of the
golden chain often representing marriage. SPEAKER 2: You know, maybe
the unicorn is the betrothed. SPEAKER 1: So is there a kind
of eliding of symbol here? Is there a kind of
overlay of narratives? SPEAKER 2: Seems like there are
two traditions coming together, a tradition where the
unicorn is Christ-- and this is interpreted in a very
Christian context-- and then a very secular
context of the unicorn as the beloved who is
happy to be captured. So it's sort of
one of those things where it's got so much meaning. And it may be that
it's a 21st century search for "the" meaning. But maybe it never
had one meaning. Maybe its meaning was
always multifarious. SPEAKER 1: And perhaps open. I think that that's right. Of course, it would
help enormously if we knew the occasion and
the patrons for which this was made. We don't. SPEAKER 2: Perhaps a
wedding, who knows. SPEAKER 1: There
is an A and there's a backward E in
each of the panels-- SPEAKER 2: In every one. SPEAKER 1: --in each of the
panels, each of the tapestries. There's been much
scholarly disagreement as to who those are for. The tapestries themselves
are gloriously rich, brightly colored. And, in fact, in a
recent restoration, the backing was
taken off and much of the richness of the
color was photographed. And it's really breathtaking. Even the front of the
tapestries are just glorious. SPEAKER 2: And of
course, tapestries would have been
hung in a room that was dark, like this one, right? SPEAKER 1: Yes. SPEAKER 2: That
we're in, and would have served as a way
of insulating the room and keeping the warmth in. SPEAKER 1: Yes, they
were quite practical. SPEAKER 2: But it's important
to go up and look closely. Because when you look at
the flowers and the animals and really try to
decode the narrative, there's a real richness
that unfolds, that is-- SPEAKER 1: Just the
sensuality of the surface. SPEAKER 2: Yeah. SPEAKER 1: I think that
that's absolutely right. And this is not only dyed
wool, but it's also silk. SPEAKER 2: Silk. And I think it's
interesting, this idea of this creature
that's imaginary, that's pure, that
can't be caught. We can't see it. We can't find it. SPEAKER 1: And maybe even
our modern understanding. SPEAKER 2: Yeah. [MUSIC PLAYING]