A Mon Seul Desir IV Tapestry Wall Hanging

A Mon Seul Desir IV Tapestry Wall Hanging

A Mon Seul Desir European tapestry is one of many in the "Lady and the Unicorn" (La Dame A La Licorne) series. The lady stands in front of a tent, across the top which reads "A Mon Seul Désir" (To my only desire). Her maidservant stands to the right, holding open a chest. The lady is placing the necklace she wears in the other tapestries into the chest. To her left is a low bench with bags of coins on it. The unicorn and the lion stand in their normal spots framing the lady while holding onto the pennants. This tapestry has elicited a number of interpretations. One interpretation sees the lady putting the necklace into the chest as a renunciation of the passions aroused by the other senses, and as an assertion of her free will. Another sees the tapestry as representing a sixth sense of understanding. Other various interpretations see the tapestry as representing love or virginity.