Johanna Maria Brenninkmeijer, Embroidered armchair, probably 1960s
The Lady and the Unicorn







Details
- Title: Johanna Maria Brenninkmeijer, Embroidered armchair, probably 1960s
- Object Type: Armchair
- Dating: 1960 - 1969
- Dating Period: 1960s
- Material: Metall, Wood, Textile
- Technique: Carved, Embroidered
- Height, width, depth: 114.0 cm, 73.0 cm, 64.0 cm
- Acquisition Date: 2022
- Inventory number: 123831
- Permalink: https://www.draiflessen.com/items/101
Description
The armchair stands on four S-shaped curved legs that, like the armrests, are decorated with carved ornaments and are connected by X-shaped stretchers. The seat and backrest show embroidery by Johanna Maria Brenninkmeijer (1897–1978). The motifs are inspired by the famous six-part tapestry series The Lady and the Unicorn, dating back to the late sixteenth century, which pictures the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) on a so-called millefleurs background. The sixth tapestry, whose central motif was here used for the backrest, is not as easy to decipher: an elegant lady stands in front of a pagoda tent whose curtains are opened and held by a lion and a unicorn. She puts a piece of jewelry into a casket. One reason why the subject of the picture is assumed to be the renunciation of sensuous pleasures or the striving for perfect (divine) love is because—in the tapestry—“Mon seul désir” (My only desire) is woven into the canopy of the pagoda tent.