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The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier - 4* - My Review

This novel provides a fictionalized history of the Unicorn tapestries, real works of art that are now on display in the Musée de Cluny. Very little is known of their creation and Tracy Chevalier has imagined the story of why and how they were made. They were commissioned by the Le Viste family around the year 1500. Chevalier does an admirable job of crafting a convincing historical fiction of the commission, design, cartooning, weaving, and hanging. The story is told by a variety of voices connected with the project.

Jean Le Viste commissions Nicholas des Innocents, a portrait artist, to design tapestries for his ballroom. At first, he asks for battle scenes, but Nicholas talks him into different subject matter based upon a conversation with Jean’s wife. Nicholas is a womanizer, and this story gets rather bawdy in describing his amorous pursuits. Nicholas attempts to seduce Le Viste’s daughter, and, later, the blind daughter of the Brussels tapestry weaver.

The writing is descriptive and fits with the historical time period. It is educational in terms of the steps required to produce a tapestry. Nicholas is a talented rogue, and it is easy to dislike him (as I am sure the author intends). Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction about real works of art. I can also recommend Chevalier’s Remarkable Creatures and The Girl with the Pearl Earring.

I read this a couple of years back and appreciated it very much. Thank you for reminding me of this read.

Glad you enjoyed it too, Amy!