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Arthur Boyd and Peter Porter
The lady and the unicorn
Arthur Boyd and Peter Porter: The lady and the unicorn
A masterpiece of medieval French art, 'The lady and the unicorn’ tapestries have long captivated and inspired artists, writers and musicians. Among these were Australian artist Arthur Boyd and expatriate poet Peter Porter who, from 1973 to 1975, collaborated on a suite of 24 etchings and accompanying poems on the theme.
Neither artist nor poet viewed the tapestries in the flesh. Boyd and Porter’s adaption tells an alternative version of the myth sparked by the exquisite beauty and enigmatic characters of the French tapestries.
Porter portrays the unicorn as an outcast, isolated by his uniqueness; a wild creature, only tamable by a virgin. The unicorn was the only animal not to make it onto Noah’s ark, and its rarity makes it desirable to a greedy emperor who collects animals and who sends forth his hunters. Meanwhile, the unicorn falls in love with a young lady, who in turn becomes infatuated. However, she soon tires of the unicorn’s love and betrays him by aiding the emperor’s hunters. The unicorn is captured and dies in prison, before being resurrected by an angel. Boyd renders Porter’s tale in an emotionally tumultuous and erotically charged visual language.
The poems by Peter Porter are published in:
'The lady and the unicorn: Arthur Boyd and Peter Porter’, Secker & Warburg, London, 1975 and 'The lady and the unicorn: a collaboration between Arthur Boyd and Peter Porter’, Bundanon Trust, 2016.
This suite of prints is on display in the 20th and 21st century Australian galleries, in conjunction with the exhibition 'The lady and the unicorn’ (10 February – 24 June 2018). The tapestry suite is on loan from the Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris.
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
Invocation (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint, printed in black ink on paper 60.3 × 42.8 cm platemark; 80.1 × 58.4 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
The unicorn and the ark (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 59.7 × 42.8 cm platemark; 79.3 × 57.5 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
The unicorn’s survival litany (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.3 × 42.8 cm platemark; 79.4 × 57.5 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
Christ names His cross for the unicorn (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.2 × 42.9 cm platemark; 79.3 × 57.0 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
The unicorn in the forest (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.4 × 43.0 cm platemark; 79.4 × 57.2 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
Enter the Emperor I (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.3 × 42.7 cm platemark; 79.1 × 57.3 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
Enter the Emperor II (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.3 × 42.7 cm platemark; 79.1 × 57.3 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
The hunters set out to trap the unicorn I (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.2 × 42.8 cm platemark; 79.0 × 57.3 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
The hunters set out to trap the unicorn II (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.2 × 42.8 cm platemark; 79.0 × 57.3 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
The unicorn sees the Lady (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.4 × 42.9 cm platemark; 79.6 × 57.1 cm sheet
Arthur Boyd Australia/England, 1920-99
The unicorn’s love dance. The lady’s acceptance (1973-74) from the portfolio The Lady and the Unicorn etching, aquatint 60.4 × 42.9 cm platemark; 79.6 × 57.3 cm sheet
