Books like The lady and the unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
The Lady and the Unicorn follows the creation of the iconic medieval tapestries that graced the walls of a French château. Jean le Viste, newly wealthy, commissions the pieces, and designer Nicolas is drawn into the lives of his patron’s wife Genevieve and daughter Claude.
As the weavers, merchants, and apprentices in Brussels collaborate to produce the cloth, the complex world of textile artisans unfolds, revealing the influence of wives, daughters, and servants in a society where gender and status intersected. The story follows the dancers of this intricate process—love, longing, rivalry, and faith—all revolving around the tapestries' cryptic motifs.
Through the stakes of art, mystery, and personal ambition, the novel offers a window into the fabric of 15th‑century Europe and the enduring allure of the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
First publish date: 2003
Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval Historical Fiction
Authors: Tracy Chevalier
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