The Unicorn is Found Tapestry, © Crown Copyright reproduced courtesy of Historic Scotland. (Click on image to enlarge).
The Unicorn is Found is one of a series of seven medieval tapestries collectively entitled The Hunt of the Unicorn being re-created for the Queen’s inner hall at Stirling Castle. It will be displayed at the Fleming Collection, Berkeley St., Mayfair, London next year. The exhibition, which runs from April 17 to June 1, 2012, celebrates the refurbishment of Stirling Castle by Historic Scotland and the skills of British tapestry weavers. It has taken 12 years to weave the tapestries at the West Dean Tapestry Studio, part of the Edward James Foundation based near Chichester in west Sussex. The originals are at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
The restoration is part of Historic Scotland’s £12 million undertaking to recreate the 16th century Royal Apartments of James V’s of Scotland’s Royal Palace. Stirling Castle has been rated the United Kingdom’s best heritage attraction by members of Which? Magazine. The Unicorn is Found is the centrepiece of the seven tapestries. The Fleming Collection has become an embassy for Scottish art in London and this will be the first time the tapestry has gone on public display outside Scotland.