This is a detail from the 15th century Flemish set of tapestries depicting the senses, The Lady and the Unicorn. This one represents Taste.
The lady in question is most probably Blanche of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt (son of Edward III and so on…)
The Sims Medieval Concept art
Tapestry and Stained glass
Source: milesdulay.blogspot.com
Flowers from The Unicorn in Captivity tapestry
The abundance of plants and flowers in the Unicorn Tapestries express the artist’s delight in nature. They brought the enchantment of springtime into the bleak castles in which the tapestries originally hung. But to the medieval viewer, these plants would have been meaningful, as well as beautiful. They were used for all kinds of cures, from stomachache to baldness. In the Unicorn Tapestries, however, most of the plants are included for their symbolism.
Each plant is shown in its prime, although they actually blossom in different seasons. Nevertheless, they are depicted with such accuracy that nearly all of them have been identified.
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You can view the entire tapestry here
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Stock-gilliflower In the Middle Ages these sweet-smelling flowers might have symbolized purity and love and perhaps they were thought to help make a woman fruitful. In the Middle Ages powdered bistort and aromatic spices were supposed to help a woman conceive. Bistort also supposedly healed wounds, stopped vomiting, and acted as a diuretic. In the Middle Ages the wild orchid’s roots, distilled or sodden in goat’s milk or wine, was supposed to be a powerful aphrodisiac for both men and women. It was also believed that if a man ate the larger part of an orchid’s root, he was supposed to beget a male child; the lesser part would help create girls. This plant was thought to attack poison and to drive away melancholy and reptiles in the Middle Ages. Boiled in wine, oil, and cumin and made into a plaster, the cuckoo-pint was used to relieve swellings. Its powdered root in evaporated rosewater was supposed to help the complexion. The cuckoo-pint also treated chest complaints and, when applied with fresh ox dung, gout. Imported from Tunis into Europe in 1270, the short-lived perennial carnation with its long-lasting spicy flowers came to symbolize earthly and divine love, betrothal and marriage, Christ and the Virgin. This prickly thistle was identified with the Virgin Mary. In the Middle Ages the boiled root of any wild thistle was thought to help beget male children. It also treated serpent bites, burns, ulcers, skin disease, sciatica, bleeding, baldness, and toothaches. Because the Madonna lily’s exterior is white, it was symbolic of the Virgin Mary’s purity in the Middle Ages; because inside it is gold, it stood for the Christ she bore. The lily, with its white, perfumed summer flowers, also stood for faithfulness in love and marriage. The lily treated burns, ulcers, and ear and breathing problems. It was also used to combat the poison of serpents and to test the virginity of a girl. It was also believed that when a pregnant woman was presented with a lily and a rose, if she chose the lily, she was supposed to bear a boy; if she took the rose, she would have a girl. This hardy plant was one of the bitter herbs used by the Jews for the Seder. For Christians, it came to symbolize the Passion of Christ, which started with the Seder, or Last Supper. Because of its shape, which resembles four doves, this plant was known as columbine in the Middle Ages (columba means “dove” in Latin). With its seven blooms on a stock, the columbine symbolized the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The columbine also symbolized loyalty, constancy, love, fertility, and the Virgin Mary. Used in medieval recipes, columbine was believed to drive away poisons and the plague in the Middle Ages. It also treated jaundice, helped in childbirth, and eased sore mouths and throats. When carried on one’s person, it supposedly stopped dogs from barking.
Mathiola incana
Polygonum bistorta
Orchis mascula
Arum maculatum
Dianthus caryophyllus
Silybum marianum
Lilium candidum
Taraxacum officinale
Aquilegia vulgaris
Source: metmuseum.org
image: Norman cavalry armed with lances attacks the Anglo-Saxon shield wall. Notice the dominance of the spearmen in the front line of the formation. In the back of the formation there is one warrior armed with a battle-axe, one archer and one javelinman. There are Javelins in mid-flight and slain soldiers pierced with javelins on the ground.
A javelin is a light spear designed primarily for casting as a ranged weapon.
The word javelin comes from Middle English and it derives from Old French javeline, a diminutive of javelot which meant spear. The word javelotprobably originated from the Celtic language.
The “Lady and the Unicorn” tapestry at the Cluny Museum in Paris
(credit for image to Atlant)
The Triumph of Death, or The 3 Fates,a Flemish tapestry (probably Brussels, ca. 1510-1520), located now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Depected are the three fates, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, who spin, draw out and cut the thread of Life, represent Death in this tapestry, as they triumph over the fallen body of Chastity. This is the third subject in Petrarch’s poem The Triumphs. First, Love triumphs; then Love is overcome by Chastity, Chastity by Death, Death by Fame, Fame by Time and Time by Eternity.
