The Hunt of the Unicorn is a series of seven tapestries dating from 1495–1505. The tapestries, often referred to as the Unicorn Tapestries, show a group of noblemen and hunters in pursuit of a unicorn which is eventually captured, brought back to a castle and chained to a tree. This article is about tapestry the textile. ... Events February 22 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the citys throne. ... Events March 5 - Papal dispensation issued for the marriage of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon June 27 - Henry VIII of England repudiates his engagement to Catherine of Aragon, at his fathers command King Alexander_of_Poland signed Nihil_novi act - Poland became Nobles Democracy Poland prohibits peasants from leaving... The gentle and pensive virgin has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 The unicorn is a legendary creature shaped like a horse, but slender and with a single — usually spiral — horn growing out of its forehead. ...

Much of the tapestries' history is disputed and there are many theories about their original purpose and meaning, including suggestions that the seven tapestries were not originally hung together.

The two major interpretations of the tapestries hinge on pagan and Christian symbolism. The pagan interpretation focuses on the medieval lore of beguiled lovers, whereas Christian writings interpret the unicorn and its death as the Passion of Christ. The unicorn has been identified as a symbol of Christ by Christian writers for thousands of years, allowing the traditionally pagan symbolism of the unicorn to become acceptable within religious doctrine. The original myths surrounding the Hunt of the Unicorn refer to a beast with one horn that can only be tamed by a virgin maiden; subsequently, Christian scholars translated this into an allegory for Christ's relationship with the Virgin Mary. The gentle and pensive virgin has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 The unicorn is a legendary creature shaped like a horse, but slender and with a single — usually spiral — horn growing out of its forehead. ... The Passion is the technical term for the suffering and Agony of Jesus that led directly to the Crucifixion, a central Christian event. ... The term Virgin Mary has several different meanings: For the historical and multi-denominational concept of Mary, see Mary, the mother of Jesus. ...

The tapestries were owned by the La Rochefoucauld family of France for several centuries. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. bought them in 1922 for about a million dollars and donated them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1937. They now hang in The Cloisters which houses the museum's medieval collection. There is a similar set of tapestries made around the same time located in the Musée National du Moyen Âge in Paris based on the senses. La Rochefoucauld can refer to: François de La Rochefoucauld La Rochefoucauld, Charente, a commune in the Charente département in France This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... John D. Rockefeller, Jr. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... There is also the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), located in Manhattan. ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Cloisters as seen from the Hudson River The Cloisters is one of the museums of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. ...

Beginning in 1998, the tapestries were cleaned and restored. In the process, the linen backing was removed, the tapestries were bathed in water, and it was discovered that the colors on the back were in even better condition than those on the front (which are quite vivid). A series of high resolution digital photographs were taken of both sides. Merging the photos required the efforts of two famous mathematicians, the Chudnovsky brothers. Torn linen cloth, recovered from the Dead Sea Linen is a material made from the fibers of the flax plant. ... The Nikon Coolpix 950 Casio Exilim Digital photography, as opposed to film photography, uses an electronic sensor to record the image as a piece of electronic data rather than as chemical changes on film. ... The Chudnovsky Brothers are mathematicians known for their wide-ranging mathematical abilities, their home-built supercomputers, and their close working relationship. ...

External links

• Metropolitan Museum of Art Unicorn tapestries website (http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Unicorn/unicorn_inside.htm)
• New Yorker article Capturing the Unicorn (http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/050411fa_fact) on digital photography of the Unicorn tapestries, from the 2005-04-11 issue.
• Musée National du Moyen Âge tapestries (http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/ang/pages/page_id18368_u1l2.htm)