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 Tracy Chevalier must have been an artist in a former life—she possesses the incredible ability to describe colours in a work of art, an artist's thoughts as a work progresses, and the impact of art on those who view it. Her fourth novel, The Lady and the Unicorn, is a beautifully written piece of historical fiction focusing on a set of medieval tapestries that now hang in the Musée National du Moyen Age (Cluny) in Paris. The six panels lie in a protected chamber and are surrounded by mystery. No one knows the true history of these lavish works of art, only that each panel represents one of the six senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste, and love. Through these senses the tapestries tell the story of a woman's seduction of a unicorn. Using this as a starting point, Chevalier gives life to these brilliant yet ambiguous tapestries and introduces the reader to the individuals behind the work of art.
The book begins in Paris, 1490. We are introduced to Nicolas des Innocents, an artist of the court who is known as much for his miniature paintings of noblewomen as for his love of anything with breasts. He is arrogant but talented and is commissioned by French nobleman Jean le Viste to design six enormous tapestries that will adorn his Grande Salle. The nobleman wants a battle scene, but his intelligent and powerful wife, Geneviève de Nanterre, secretly asks Nicolas to portray the fable of the lady and the unicorn. Nicolas sets to work on the drawings, which he then takes north to Brussels to master weaver Georges de la Chapelle and his family.
As Chevalier weaves the intricate story together, narrating it in turns by each of the characters—the painter, the tapissier, the weaver, and a number of women who are part of their lives—she recreates the world of fifteenth-century France and Belgium, its social customs for women, as well as its strict rules for painters and weavers. Prior to reading The Lady and the Unicorn, I knew nothing about tapestries and the incredible amount of labour that went into making one. It was arduous, time-consuming work restricted by a guild that only allowed work within the hours it chose, and never after sundown or on Sundays. There was no room for mistakes, and if Georges, the tapissier, did not make the deadline set by his patron, he risked losing everything and having his work seized by the king.
The novel is also a story of love and of how a work of art changed the lives of all who created it and all who have viewed the finished masterpiece. I couldn't put it down, and I recommend it to anyone who has even the smallest interest in art.
Tracy Chevalier's previous novels are Girl with a Pearl Earring, Falling Angels, and The Virgin Blue. All three novels bring to life a work of art, the life of an artist, and a time of great change in history, and should not be missed!Click here to read more about The Lady and the Unicorn.
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