La Dame à la Licorne

À mon seul désir

When we were in Paris in September, we were supposed to visit the Musée de Cluny/Musée national du Moyen Âge to see the tapestries.  It was close to number one on my list.  I checked on the Internet for opening hours and found that the tapestries were on loan to Japan!

Yesterday, while looking for a book for my son, I fell upon Tracy Chevalier's The Lady and the Unicorn.  A friend had mentioned the book to me this summer and I was surprised that I had not read it.  With joy and anticipation, I raced upstairs to begin reading.

I am not disappointed.  Although the narrative is largely fictionalized, it is based on quite a lot of fact.  I am enjoying the middle age flavors of this book, the references to old Paris and the bawdiness of some of the characters, the smells, the sights.

A long time ago, I think it was 1987, I bought a cushion cover of a scene from La Dame.  It sits on a wing chair in our living room.  I just love the subjects, colors and textures of these tapestries.  They are so beautiful and Chevalier's book is allowing me to access their deeper symbolism.

It's snowing outside and inside, it's cozy and comfy and perfect for a day of reading.

Next time I'm in Paris...

Stella-the-bookworm