The Lady and the Unicorn. (Taschenbuch)

Towards the end of the fifteenth century, a talented, handsome, and cocky painter, Nicolas des Innocents, is commissioned to design and paint scenes depicting the Battle of Nancy for a series of tapestries. His paintings would then be enlarged in preparation for having the images woven into tapestries by a master weaver in Brussels. The commission is given to Nicholas by a prominent French nobleman, Jean Le Viste, a cold man who is given to self-importance and wishes to memorialize his status, as his star in on the ascendancy in the Royal Court.

Nicolas soon discovers, however, that it was Jean Le Viste's wife, Genevieve de Nanterre, who suggested him for the commission. She lets him know, however, that she does not wish for the tapestries to depict the Battle of Nancy but, rather, scenes of a lady and a unicorn. Genevieve de Nanterre, a pious and unhappily married woman, leaves it to him to convince her husband that this new idea should replace the Battle of Nancy as the subject of the tapestries. Nicolas manages to do this, and so it begins.

Nicolas is not only a fine painter but also a confirmed lothario who falls for Le Viste's daughter, a beautiful teenager named Claude. Of course, Nicholas has already dallied with Marie-Celeste, one of the household's maids with the usual, not unexpected, result, a fact that will eventually lead to some serious personal consequences for him. Meanwhile, Genevieve de Nanterre, who would rather be a nun than married to Jean Le Viste, discovers that her daughter reciprocates the painter's passion. Claude is ultimately shipped off to a nunnery to repent for her sins and to remain chaste until a suitable betrothal may be made for her. Genevieve's motives in doing so, however, are not wholly altruistic.

Eventually, Nicholas travels to the workshop of master weaver Georges de la Chappelle, who has been selected to convert the paintings to tapestries. Nicholas meets with cartoonist, Philippe de la Tour, to ensure that the tapestries stay true to his paintings and that the process of enlarging them does not substantively change his seductive design. Of course, his stay in Brussels is made more pleasant by the fact that Georges de la Chappelle has a lovely daughter named Alienor, who is ripe for the picking. Unfortunately, her father, for business reasons, wishes to marry her off to the local tanner, a smelly brute whose noxious scent is a result of an expected occupational hazard. Unbeknownst to them all, however, Alienor has a secret admirer, whose love will eventually make right all that goes wrong.

This is a mildly entertaining novel in which the underlying theme is seduction. The tale is told from the perspectives of each of the main characters through individual first person narratives. The lives of some of them become intertwined, because Nicolas des Innocents has come into contact with them. The story describes their lives and loves, as well as the impact that their lives have on the actual tapestries. The novel also gives a good deal of interesting information on the weavers' guild of the time and its practices, as well as information on the painstaking art of weaving high quality tapestries, such as that of "The Lady and the Unicorn".

Towards the end of the fifteenth century, a talented, handsome, and cocky painter, Nicolas des Innocents, is commissioned to design and paint scenes depicting the Battle of Nancy for a series of tapestries. His paintings would then be enlarged in preparation for having the images woven into tapestries by a master weaver in Brussels. The commission is given to Nicholas by a prominent French nobleman, Jean Le Viste, a cold man who is given to self-importance and wishes to memorialize his status, as his star in on the ascendancy in the Royal Court.

Nicolas soon discovers, however, that it was Jean Le Viste's wife, Genevieve de Nanterre, who suggested him for the commission. She lets him know, however, that she does not wish for the tapestries to depict the Battle of Nancy but, rather, scenes of a lady and a unicorn. Genevieve de Nanterre, a pious and unhappily married woman, leaves it to him to convince her husband that this new idea should replace the Battle of Nancy as the subject of the tapestries. Nicolas manages to do this, and so it begins.

Nicolas is not only a fine painter but also a confirmed lothario who falls for Le Viste's daughter, a beautiful teenager named Claude. Of course, Nicholas has already dallied with Marie-Celeste, one of the household's maids with the usual, not unexpected, result, a fact that will eventually lead to some serious personal consequences for him. Meanwhile, Genevieve de Nanterre, who would rather be a nun than married to Jean Le Viste, discovers that her daughter reciprocates the painter's passion. Claude is ultimately shipped off to a nunnery to repent for her sins and to remain chaste until a suitable betrothal may be made for her. Genevieve's motives in doing so, however, are not wholly altruistic.

Eventually, Nicholas travels to the workshop of master weaver Georges de la Chappelle, who has been selected to convert the paintings to tapestries. Nicholas meets with cartoonist, Philippe de la Tour, to ensure that the tapestries stay true to his paintings and that the process of enlarging them does not substantively change his seductive design. Of course, his stay in Brussels is made more pleasant by the fact that Georges de la Chappelle has a lovely daughter named Alienor, who is ripe for the picking. Unfortunately, her father, for business reasons, wishes to marry her off to the local tanner, a smelly brute whose noxious scent is a result of an expected occupational hazard. Unbeknownst to them all, however, Alienor has a secret admirer, whose love will eventually make right all that goes wrong.

This is a mildly entertaining novel in which the underlying theme is seduction. The tale is told from the perspectives of each of the main characters through individual first person narratives. The lives of some of them become intertwined, because Nicolas des Innocents has come into contact with them. The story describes their lives and loves, as well as the impact that their lives have on the actual tapestries. The novel also gives a good deal of interesting information on the weavers' guild of the time and its practices, as well as information on the painstaking art of weaving high quality tapestries, such as that of "The Lady and the Unicorn".

Tracy Chevalier used her fancy very well by telling a magnificent story about the making of the tapestries commissioned by French nobleman Jean Le Viste. She wove a web around the characters as fascinating as the tapestries themselves.

Her descriptions of the tapestries are so vivid and detailed (but not boring at all) that you can picture them before your inner eye. The tapestries represent Touch, Sound, Smell, Sight, Taste and a Heart's desire.

Each of the persons in this book has his/her very own heart's desire just like the lady depicted in one of the tapestries. One is led to wonder whether the heart's desires will be fulfilled.

"The Lady and the Unicorn" is a combination of "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" and " Falling Angels": each of the protagonists - apart from Jean Le Viste who despite of having commissioned the tapestries rather plays a minor part - entrusts the reader with his/her thoughts as if we were their best friends or diaries, using the same wonderful language as in "The Girl with the Pearl Earring".

I particularly liked Aliénor: She, the blind daughter of the weaver, describes Nicolas to us. Until Aliénor describes him to us, we hardly know anything about him, although he is one of the main characters.

Result: If you liked "The Girl with the Pearl Earring", you will probably like this one, too! Please read this wonderful story about a group of people who all have a heart's desire.

By the way: You can have a look at the tapestries at Tracy Chevalier's website *s*!