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The sight: Tapestry of the series of the Lady and the Unicorn. Cluny’s Museum.
Of Flemish origin, they were probably made in the last years of the XVth century, tissue woven in wool and silk, although some others consider them to have been made in Paris. They were discovered by Prosper Merimée in 1841 in the Boussac castle. The birds, hares, monkeys and other animals grant the tapestry an atmosphere of magical dream. The weapons and the shield that show the mythological animals that appear in all six tapestries (the five senses and the mysterious «A mon seul desir»), points to the commander Jean Le Viste as its owner, mainly because of the shield that appear in all the tapestries (in this one, it appears above).
Jean le Viste was a character of Luis XI’s diplomacy and afterwards of Charles VIII’s. He was a lawyer, having graduated in Law at the University of Avignon. He was also Lord of Arcy, in the region of «Haute Loire», although others dispute that consideration. He was also advisor of the King in the Parliament and President of the Cour des Aides (courts of the «Ancient Regime» that solved the tax and property’s proceedings related to the Treasury). On the other hand, it’s considered widely that he belonged to a family that had dedicated traditionally to trade but wanted to climb up the social ladder, entering the nobility afterwards.
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