The Lady and the Unicorn A Novel

Tracy Chevalier's historical novel is a compelling, imagined story behind the creation of the six bewitching medieval tapestries, 'The Lady and the Unicorn,' which are today housed in the Cluny Museum in Paris. The story begins in Paris in 1490 when a shrewd French nobleman, Jean Le Viste, commissions six lavish tapestries to celebrate his rising social status. He hires the charismatic and arrogant artist Nicolas des Innocents to design them. Nicolas, taking inspiration from Le Viste's wife, Geneviève, and his daughter, Claude, for the women in the tapestries, designs a provocative series focusing on the five senses and the mysterious sixth panel, 'À mon seul desir' (To my sole desire). Nicolas's presence creates havoc among the women in the Le Viste household. The narrative then shifts to a Brussels workshop, where master weaver Georges de la Chapelle risks everything to bring the intricate designs to life. The process of creation changes the lives of all involved, whose personal stories and desires are subtly woven into the fabric of the finished masterpieces.

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