The Tapestries - Metropolitan Museum of Art

his right is perhaps a genet, whose
long, lithe body and ringed tail were
surely visually appealing to the
designer. The genet is sometimes
confused with the weasel, which
mightbe the case here: theweasel,
like him, is courageous and, like the
deer, an enemy of serpents. He turns
his head in surprise at a hideous
hyena, reputed in bestiaries to be
fierce and filthy. Its presence among
the virtuous animals is not strange,
for medieval artists often placed diabolical
creatures next to those
symbolizing man's finer qualities.
The inconspicuous bird poised on a
bush at the left of the fountain is
probably a nightingale, from whose
small drab body rings out the famed
and glorious song. The female was
supposed to sing as she warmed her
eggs through sleepless nights, a model
for the poor but honest working
woman who lightened her troubles
by singing. But more pertinent to the
tapestry, perhaps, is the nightingale's
long association with springtime,
the burgeoning earth, and lovers.
The lush nora forms a lovely,
restful ambience. The orange tree at
the lower right is associated, as are all
fruit trees, with fertility. It is also
directly related to the unicorn ridding
the stream of venom, since people in
the Middle Ages believed that by
drinking a concoction of citrus seeds,
hot water, and wine, one becomes
immune to poison. Appropriately,
this same association exists for much
of the other flora, probably to underline
the religious symbolism of the
purification of the stream: the fruit of
the medlar tree to the left of the unicorn,
the flowering sage plant at the
right of the fountain, and the bright
yellow marigolds near the hyena -
when consumed, all resist poison
either alone or combined with other
ingredients. The wild pansies at the
Iymerer's feet have petals of three
colors; for this reason in the Middle
Ages the flower signified the Holy
Trinity. The word pansy in French is
pensee meaning thought, implying
thought of the beloved in the language
of love.