To My Only Desire
One of the famous six tapestries in the ‘The Lady with the Unicorn’ series. Woven in about 1511 they feature the arms of Jean le Viste. Each represents one of the senses except for the final ‘A Mon Seul Desir’. These 12’ high masterpieces were lost until 1844 when the novelist Georges Sands discovered them in Boussac suffering from damage from rats and damp walls. The Cluny Museum in Paris purchased them in 1853, later restoring them. They are now among the national treasures of France displayed in their own circular room at the museum. Several versions available. Two are shown here.
to my desire
Woven in France in a fine weave. 50% wool, 40% cotton. With border.
Available Sizes Price
34 x 44 $449.00
43 x 59 $745.00
59 x 79 $1299.00
Woven in France with a very fine stitch. 65% wool, 18% cotton. No border.
to my only desire no border
Available Sizes Price
37 X 46 $1579.00
52 x 62 $2579.00
72 x 96 $3639.00
Other contemporary designs (not shown here) mimic the main features of the original, yet are less detailed and much less expensive. Matching 19-inch pillows are also available.

A note about the symbolism by two authors:

Excerpt from Flemish Tapestry (1999) by Guy Delmarcel, pp. 54-55.

The two beasts, lion and unicorn, hold open the tent in which a lady is slipping a beautiful necklace into a jewelry box brought to her by a handmaiden. The title, “to my only desire” probably refers to “free will” which enables a man to control the five senses depicted in the other tapestries in the set. The letter after the device is perhaps a Y, the symbol of choice between good and evil. The many animals on the red background may be purely decorative, though the little dog on the seat beside the lady is a classic symbol of married fidelity.

Exerpt from Tracy Chevalier’s website: www.tchevalier.com/unicorn/tapestries.

The tapestries can be interpreted several ways – as a virgin seducing a unicorn, as a woman renouncing the physical world of the senses for the spiritual world, aas the Virgin Mary with Christ. The first is the most popular interpretation, and refers to the old belief that the unicorn is so wild it cannot be tamed, except by a virgin. If she sits in the woods, the unicorn will come and lay its head in her lap. (Chevalier is the author of The Lady and the Unicorn, the recent historical fiction novel about the making of these tapestries.)
* All prices are subject to change, as affected by current exchange rates and shipping costs.


(close window)