Unicorns and classic art

Raphael, Lady with a Unicorn, 1505

One of my favorite works of art is Lady with a Unicorn by the Renaissance master Raphael. I had never heard of or seen it before I visited the Borghese Gallery in Rome this past March, but the moment I set eyes on it I fell in love. I adore Raphael's art in general, but it's rare to find such a lovely secular work (or, more secular than much of his oeuvre, in any case). It's fantastically charming: the girl is so pretty (and surprisingly serious!) and the unicorn is such a tiny little bundle, like a pet cat or goat in her lap. Charming really is the best word I can use to describe a painting of a baby unicorn and a lovely lady. Charming and adorable.

The subject of unicorns has been a popular one lately on art and culture blogs, partly because of the new unicorn exhibit at the Met's Cloisters museum in New York City. As you may know, the Cloisters is the Met's special Medieval space, located separate from it's main building. I've yet to visit it myself, though I'm hoping to get the chance when I am in the city this October for New York Comic Con. In any case, it's supposed to be quite a spectacular place to visit and I'm sure the unicorn exhibit will prove to be very popular, seeing as how the mythological creature continues to capture the dreams and imaginations of generations the world over.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/arts/design/search-for-the-unicorn-at-the-cloisters.html?_r=0
http://www.artnews.com/2013/05/23/unicorns-in-art/

The Artifice blog has a great article on the Medieval history of the unicorn and other related creatures from Medieval bestiaries, and how psychology and philosophy of the era may have contributed to their mythos. The focus of the article is visual theory and the idea that vision holds power, more so than simply enabling you to view your physical surroundings. Check out the full article for some interesting history on Medieval philosophy regarding vision and how it relates to such legendary beasts as the unicorn.
http://the-artifice.com/coming-eye-to-eye-with-the-beasts-of-the-medieval-imagination/

Woodcut from The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents by Edward Topsell, 1658. (Source: Wikipedia)

It's fascinating to me that unicorn-esque creatures can be found in the mythology and art of cultures worldwide, including those in Asia and the Middle East, even dating as far back as 5000 BC. Why are single-horned creatures so predominant in ancient and Medieval legend? Is there factual basis for them? We have of course certain one-horned animals existant today, such as the rhinocerous, the narwhal, and certain types of African antelope that are generally double-horned but may be born with only a single horn due to genetic disorders. Are any of these the sources of the mythological creature? To me, it seems doubtful considering the limited range of the animals and the very UNlimited range of the worldwide folklore. Unicorns are written about by the ancient Greeks who considered them factual animals, mainly inhabiting India. The Bible makes mention of them multiple times, and versions of the unicorn can be found in ancient Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Persian, and Indian mythology.

As prolific in appearance as the unicorn is throughout history, it is no surprise that unicorns can be found throughout the world's art history as well. Here are just a few examples of depictions of unicorns through the ages and from around the world. Apparently Salvador Dali had a real fascination with unicorns during the 70s (I've only included two of the multitude of paintings, sketches, and unicorn sculptures he produced). Further research might prove interesting, when/if I have the time.

Salvador Dali, The Happy Unicorn, 1977.

Annunciation with the Unicorn Polyptych, 1408, National Museum, Warsaw. (Source: Wikipedia)

Maiden with the Unicorn,  French, 15th century, tapestry, Musee de Cluny, Paris. (source: Wikipedia)

Japanese kirin statue, 1637. Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan. Source.

Salvador Dali, The Laser Unicorn Disintegrates the Horns of the Cosmic Rhinoceros, 1974.

...I really love this one, mostly because of the awesome title.

Unicorn aquamanile (contains spout and liquid for hand-washing or cup filling), German, 1425-1450, copper alloy, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Domenichino, Virgin with a Unicorn, 1602, fresco, Palazzo Farnese, Rome. (Source: Wikipedia)