I was in Paris in October 2018, for the first time in my life (late to the Paris party, I know), and I saw the amazing "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries in the Cluny Museum on the last day of our visit. The museum was right across from our hotel, and we saved it for the last day (less walking for exhausted legs), not realizing what an incredible treat we had in store.

The tapestries are truly awe-inspiring. They fill a medium-sized, dimly-lit stone room, much as they would have in @1495 when they were finished. Sound is muted, the room is noticeably warmer than the rest of the museum (which is in the restored, 11th century St. Cluny church), and there is a comforting hint of wool in the air, all these centuries later. You understand why expensive and large wool tapestries were so sought-after in chilly, medieval castles and wealthy homes: they helped warm the rooms.

The tapestries themselves are alive, the warm reds, blue, gold, green are still so vibrant and alive that they draw you in, and for a long time you just stand and stare. The flowers ("millefleurs" in the book), the animals, the Ladies, they are truly enchanting. They do tell a mysterious, engaging and alluring story about a young woman and a unicorn. (The museum also has a "history of the unicorn" exhibit alongside the tapestries, which is also pretty fascinating. At the time the tapestries were made, people still believed they were real.)

Even as I write this, I have two large posters from the exhibition and a calendar near me in my office, some of a very few touristy items I purchased on the trip. I had so many questions when I left the Cluny museum that day: who was the Lady in the tapestries, who made them, who commissioned them, how long did it take to make them, what story are they telling?

Anyway, it's hard for any book to live up to the real tapestries, and that may be why I was a little disappointed with this book. Chevalier clearly did A LOT of research, the writing is pretty vivid, and her exploration of the time period, Paris and the weavers guild in Brussels is fascinating. In fact, the story of the weaver and his family was my favourite part of the book.

But I found the story of the main character, the Parisian artist who is commissioned to paint the original ideas for the tapestries, a little disappointing. He's a jerk, all he can think about is his next conquest, and I get that he's supposed to be like the unicorn ... but I guess I wanted more majesty, mystery, more nuances to his character and more story frankly. The book did seem a little short, considering the depth and potential of the delicious material (haha).

Also, the other main character, the "Lady" herself, left me thinking, "What a stupid, spoiled brat." So whether she was a realistic portrait of a possible subject or not, she was tough to like or admire in any way. You don't necessarily have to like the main character, but again I suppose I was hoping for someone slightly more worthy or majestic. The real tapestries made me hope for more, which is perhaps unfair. Maybe the Lady in the tapestries really was a spoiled brat (hey, someone commissioned truly amazing works of art of her, so the potential was definitely there) ...

Still, I did learn quite a bit, and Chevalier's research clearly lead her to some interesting conclusions which did answer some questions for me, like who most likely made the tapestries, where, how and why?

All to say, if you like historical fiction you may enjoy this whether you've seen the tapestries or not (but don't miss them if you're ever in Paris!).

Sekumpulan permadani ditemukan pada tahun 1841 oleh Prosper Mérimée, seorang dramawan, sejarawan, dan arkeolog Prancis bersama dengan temannya, George Sand. Mereka menemukannya ketika menginap di Château de Boussac Prancis tengah. Ternyata permadani itu bukan sembarang permadani, itu adalah permadani dari abad pertengahan yang akhirnya membawa kontribusi besar pada sejarah abad pertengahan Prancis.

Siapa sebenarnya perancang atau pembuat permadani ini sebenarnya tidak diketahui. Tracy Chevalier 'membungkus' sejarah pembuatan enam permadani tersebut dengan kisah fiksi yang terjadi pada abad 15. Tidak semuanya fiksi, Tracy menuliskan di bagian akhir novel ini bahwa ia berusaha tetap setia pada sedikit fakta yang diketahui, termasuk membaca sumber-sumber sejarah abad pertengahan.

Tracy membagi tokoh-tokoh dalam novel ini menjadi 3 bagian. Pertama adalah keluarga bangsawan, yaitu Jean Le Viste. Istrinya: Genevieve De Nanterre. Anaknya: Claude Le Viste, Kedua adalah perancang dan makelar, yaitu Nicolas Des Innocents sebagai perancang sketsa, dan Leon Le Vieux sebagai makelar antara Jean Le Viste dan Nicholas. Ketiga adalah keluarga penenun permadani yaitu Georges De La Chapelle sebagai pemilik usaha pembuatan permadani, Christine Du Sablon (istri Georges De La Chapelle) , Aleinor De La Chapelle (anak perempuan Georges), Georges Le Jeune (anak laki-laki Georges) , Philippe De La Tour (bekerja pada Georges).

Jean Le Viste diceritakan sebagai bangsawan yang sangat dekat dengan Raja Louis XI. Ia ingin memperingati kenaikan pangkatnya dengan membuat permadani. Permadani itu akan dipajang di sebuah ruangan khusus. Awalnya, Jean Le Viste ingin menampilkan lambang keluarga yang berlatar belakang pertempuran. Unsur-unsur yang dikehendaki Le Viste yaitu: kuda-kuda, para lelaki dalam pakaian perang, panji-panji, tombak, pedang, perisai, dan darah. Namun, menurut pandangan Christine (istri Le Viste), gambar pertempuran sangat tidak elok dipajang di ruang rumah mereka. Karena itu ia mengusulkan lewat Nicholas, agar mengubah rancangan awal tadi dengan gambar anak perempuan mereka, Claude dengan binatang kesayangan Claude, yaitu Unicorn.

Usulan gambar yang baru dibuat. Jean Le Viste setuju, namun memberi batas waktu dua tahun untuk mengerjakan 6 permadani. Hal itu disanggupi oleh Leon dan Nicholas. Bagi mereka, hal itu akan menambah pundi-pundi kekayaan mereka, sebab Jean membayar sangat mahal demi sebuah prestise tersebut.

Leon dan Nicholas membawa hasil sketsa tersebut ke bengkel penenun permadani terkenal di Brussel (Belgia). Mereka memutuskan menyerahkan pekerjaan tersebut pada keluarga Georges De La Chapelle. Leon tidak percaya bahwa sketsanya akan dikerjakan sesuai dengan keinginannya. Karena itu, ia sekali waktu datang dari Prancis ke Brussel untuk memastikan apakah permadani tersebut telah selesai dikerjakan termasuk memastikan apakah sketsa yang ia buat telah sesuai dengan pengerjaannya.

Nicolas Des Innocents si pelukis ternyata bukanlah The Innocent seperti namanya. Sebelum menerima pekerjaan dari tuan Viste, ia adalah pelukis wanita dan pelukis miniatur. Karena itu, tawaran melukis pertempuran adalah seseuatu hal di luar kebiasaannya. Ia berpikiran sama dengan Christine, bahwa tidak perlu melukis pertempuran. Christine berpikiran bahwa memajang lukisan pertempuran di rumah mereka akan menyinggung perasaan prajurit yang bertempur, sementara suaminya tidaklah melakukan pertempuran. Sedangkan dari sisi Nicholas, ia menyenangi melukis wanita, karena ia juga sangat menyukai wanita namun untuk dibawa ke tempat tidur. Tema permadani "The Lady and The Unicorn" akhirnya ditentukan. Nicholas membagi tema The Lady and The Unicorn dalam 6 bagian. Bagian-bagian tersebut adalah

Tracy menulis novel ini dari berbagai sudut pandang tokoh. Karena dari berbagai sudut pandang, pembaca dapat mengetahui bagaimana tokoh tersebut menghadapi atau menyikapi suatu persoalan. Sederhananya, pembaca serasa menonton film. Contohnya bagaimana ketika Nicholas memandang Claude dan Genevieve yang akan dijadikan model dalam permadaninya:

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Sebenarnya bukan hanya ia (Jean Le Viste) yang ingin kubuat terkesan, tapi juga istri dan anaknya. Aku tak yakin mana yang lebih menggugahku-Wajah cantik Claude atau wajah murung Genevieve. Barangkali bakal ada cukup ruang bagi keduanya di hutan si Unicorn

Ketika Claude menyadari bahwa dirinyalah yang dilukis Nicholas:

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Lama kutatap gambar tersebut. Aku tak bisa mengalihkan pandanganku atau memindahkan gambar itu untuk melihat gambar selanjutnya. Ia telah melukisku. Ia memikirkanku seperti aku memikirkannya. Dadaku berdesir. mon seul désirn

Ketika Genevieve menyadari bahwa sulitnya ia mengatur putri sulungnya:

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Aku lelah memikirkan Claude. Aku lelah mengkhawatirkan apa yang akan terjadi padanya, sementara dia sendiri jelas-jelas tidak peduli pada dirinya sendiri. Untuk sesaat aku bahkan tergoda untuk mendorongnya ke pelukan pelukis itu dan menutup pintu rapat-rapat bagi mereka berdua selamanya. Tentu saja aku tak bisa melakukan hal itu...

Owkey...sekarang mari kita lihat masing-masing gambar pada permadani itu. Sumber gambar ini saya peroleh dari Musée National du Moyen Age, dimana Pemerintah Prancis membeli dan menyimpan permadani tersebut di tempat ini.

1. "Taste"-Peraba: Singa dan unicorn berada di sisi Lady. Burung kakaktua ada di tangan kiri Lady sementara Lady mengambil sesuatu (sepertinya permen) dari keranjang dayangnya. Ada seperti anjing kecil di dekat kakinya.Saya bingung kenapa bendera yang di sebelah kanan bisa berdiri, padahal unicorn-nya sedang berdiri pada dua kaki.

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2. "Sight"-Penglihatan : Sang unicorn sedang melihat cermin di kaki Lady.

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3. "Touch"-Peraba :  Lady, berpakaian bagus, memegang bendera dan memegang tanduk  Unicorn.

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4. "Smell"-Pencium : the Lady membuat rantai bunga. Monyet di belakangnya menghirup aroma bunga mawar.

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5. "Hearing"-Pendengar : Lady memainkan organ di atas meja yang ditutupi karpet turki. Singa dan Unicorn berada di masing-masing sisi organ. Hanya pada gambar ini Unicorn dan singa bertukar tempat.

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6. " To My Only Desire"-A mon seul désir: Ini tidak berkaitan dengan semua indra, apakah itu berarti indra keenam? Lady memberikan (atau mengambil?) kalung ke (dari) peti perhiasan yang disiapkan dayang. Tidak diketahui apakah gambar ini memang urutan pertama atau urutan terakhir karena gambar ini tidak "setema" dengan 5 gambar lainnya. Tema utamanya tetap Lady dan Unicorn. Sepertinya yang menjadi fokus adalah kalung perhiasan Lady, kepada yang paling diingininya. Di setiap gambar, Sang Lady berganti kostum, namun kostum tersebut menunjukkan kemewahan dan keanggunan. Satu-satunya yang ada tendanya juga pada gambar ini. Apakah yang mau diberikan adalah tendanya? (perhatikan ada tulisan A mon seul désir). Ciri utama gambar abad pertengahan adalah adanya "panggung" tempat berdiri tokoh-tokoh yang digambarkan berbunga-bunga, serta latar belakang dengan cabang/dahan yang mekar. Keseluruhan permadani ini dibuat dengan gaya mille-fleurs (berarti: "ribuan bunga").

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Untuk melihat silsilah keluarga De Viste, bisa ditelusuri di web keluarga mereka di sini Jean Le Viste dalam novel ini adalah generasi keempat. Pernikahan Jean dengan Geneviève memberikan tiga putri: Claude, Jeanne, and petite Geneviève. Ada banyak hal lagi tentang isi novel ini yang dibahas dalam webnya Tracy, silakan bagi yang berminat untuk menelusurinya di sini. Ini mungkin yang menarik, Tracy memberikan informasi yang tak tertulis di bukunya, namun menyediakannya di web pribadi.

Tracy dengan apik memberikan pengetahuan tentang abad pertengahan. Selain itu ia menceritakan suasana penenunan permadani kepada pembaca. Sebagai penulis kreatif ia memadukan pengetahuan lukisan, penenunan, kehidupan bangsawan, kehidupan biara. Ia memang serius dalam penulisan setiap novelnya. Untuk novel ini, ia membaca banyak buku serta mengunjungi museum dan tempat pembuatan permadani untuk mendapat feel pekerjaan itu. Mungkin karena itu juga cerita pada bagian melukis dan menenun, Tracy menuliskannya dengan mendetil. Bagi kita yang belum pernah punya pengalaman visual sebelumnya, tentunya akan sulit berimajinasi.

Terjemahan novel ini juga banyak mempertahankan istilah-istilah dalam Bahasa Prancis. Mungkin lebih baik jika ada keterangan singkat tentang apa maksud/arti istilah-istilah seperti n'est-ce pas?, millefleur. Atau itu mungkin salah satu siasat supaya pembaca harus mencari sendiri? Hmmm...boleh jadi :)

Tracy Chevalier lahir tahun 1962 and besar di Washington, DC. Ia memeroleh gelar Bachelor (in English) dari Oberlin College, Ohio. Setelah itu ia memeroleh gelar Master of Art di bidang creative writing dari the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. Ia terkenal sebagai penulis novel fiksi sejarah. Novelnya antara lain Remarkable Creatures (2009), Burning Bright (2007), The Lady and the Unicorn (2003), Falling Angels (2001), Girl With a Pearl Earring (1999), dan The Virgin Blue (1997).
Pekerjaan utamanya ialah menulis dan menjadi mengurus rumah tangga. Ia sangat menikmati profesi sebagai penulis. Ia mengatakan: Luckily writing is a flexible profession – I decide my schedule, and I can take as long as I need – for the most part.
Selain gelar master di bidang kepenulisan dan telah menulis novel-novel best seller, ia memberikan tips menulis pada penulis pemula:
* Don’t write about what you know – write about what you’re interested in.
* Don’t write about yourself – you aren’t as interesting as you think! There’s a whole world out there to explore.
* Be very critical – your writing can always be improved. Revise, then revise again, and again.

@hws08062011
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Tracy Chevalier has imagined the creation of a set of tapestries about which not much is known, somehow making a story about weaving tapestries very compelling. But of course, it's not just about the tapestries but also about the people involved with them - namely the "ladies" whose stories are woven into them. This is a really strange book but really inventive. I would like to know about Chevalier's writing process for this one.

This was a reread from many years ago- apart from remembering it was about weavers I didn’t remember much else. I listened to this on audible this time and the narrator was fantastic with a wide range of great voices. It was a 5 star read before and now again with 5 stars for the narrator too.

The story is set both in Paris and Brussels where the weaving takes place. The artist commissioned is a regular lothario and sees himself as the rampant unicorn. In part we learn about his love life but what is more interesting and fascinating even is learning about the process of creating a beautiful panel of tapestry- the man who supplies blue dye (woad) stinks of piss used in its creation; the length of time it took to make a tapestry (years), the particular function of the cartoonist who must translate the art into something the weavers can understand.

A great story for historical fiction lovers.

If I ever read the word maidenhead again in a novel, I will vomit from the flashback of reading this book.

Ci sono parti cringe e pezzi volgari in modo insensato, ma nel complesso è una storia interessante

I like the way Chevalier works; I like the way a work of art is used as a focus and a catalyst. I don’t like most of her characters, which makes the books rather chilly reads; there’s a distance kept between the reader and the inhabitants of the book which isn’t unlike that between a viewer and the inhabitants of a painting. Even when you’re inside the head of one of the more sympathetic characters at a very intense moment there’s still a certain detachment. The chapters rotate POV among a selection of the major characters; it’s almost like an exercise in writing. I’m an art geek, so I love all the details about working in the 1400's here, and the tiny bit of weaving I did in school made this accessible; glad that was good for something. If nothing else, it’s a very pretty hardcover, and now I desperately want a) to go stand in the middle of the room hung with these tapestries and b) tapestries of my own. Recommended, but not with a whole lot of warmth.

Avevo letto La ragazza con l’orecchino di Perla alcuni anni fa, ma poi, nonostante abbia in casa molti romanzi di questa autrice, non avevo più letto altro di suo. Questo mese, in realtà, avevo già intenzione di leggere altro di suo, ma poi mi è stato proposto di leggere questo e non ho proprio potuto tirarmi indietro.

Devo dire che nel complesso la storia mi è piaciuta molto. Nella sua prima parte è stata davvero in grado di appassionarmi, tant’è che ho letto le prime cento pagine circa senza nemmeno accorgermene, pensavo di averne lette la metà, così come alla fine. Devo però ammettere che ad un certo punto, più o meno verso i due terzi del romanzo, mi sono ritrovata improvvisamente bloccata, con poca voglia di andare avanti. Non so bene nemmeno io perché, ma ad un certo punto mi aveva stufato, anche se poi, per fortuna, si è ripreso abbastanza in fretta.
Ciò che ho preferito è sicuramente l’entusiasmo che inizialmente il libro mi ha fatto provare per la pittura e per gli arazzi, sia nello specifico per questi, che sono subito andata a cercare (anche perché se no non credo che avrei capito molti dei riferimenti che vengono fatti), sia in generale per la tecnica di come vengono orditi, di cui io sapevo ben poco e che durante la lettura mi ha molto incuriosito.

Probabilmente molto del mio “blocco” è stato legato ai personaggi, che spesso non mi sono piaciuti più di tanto.
Il romanzo, infatti, è dal punto di vista di diversi personaggi, con i capitoli che si alternano. E mentre alcuni mi sono piaciuti o comunque non mi hanno fatto né caldo né freddo, altri li ho proprio odiati. In particolare i due che probabilmente erano i più vicini a dei protagonisti, ovvero Nicolas, il pittore, e Claude, la figlia di Jean Le Viste, la donna di cui lui si innamora. Lei l’ho trovata troppo viziata e lagnosa, sempre pronta a lamentarsi di tutto e tutti, lui invece l’ho semplicemente trovato troppo, qualsiasi aspetto si considerasse, per cui proprio non sono riuscita a mandarlo giù.

Έχουμε και λέμε. Με το "μην κρίνεις ένα βιβλίο από το εξώφυλλο του" γενικά συμφωνώ. Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο όμως είναι τόσο όμορφο όσο και το εξώφυλλο του.

Πραγματεύεται τις ταπισερί της Κυρίας και του Μονόκερου οι οποίες πιθανόν υφάνθηκαν περί τα τέλη του δέκατου πέμπτου αιώνα. Παρ'όλα αυτά δεν είναι γνωστό ούτε το ποιος έδωσε την παραγγελία για να γίνουν, ούτε το ποιος την ανέλαβε τελικά.

Η συγγραφέας, συνδέοντας γνωστά και πιθανά στοιχεία για την ζωή αυτών των ταπισερί πλέκει μια φανταστική ιστορία που όμως δεν είναι απαραίτητα και μακριά από την αλήθεια.
Κάθε κεφάλαιο είναι και ένα βήμα πιο κοντά στην καρδιά της ιστορίας αφού παρουσιάζει ξεχωριστά τις διαφορετικές οπτικές γωνίες των προσώπων.

Το διάβασα μέσα σε δυο μέρες, είναι ιδιαίτερα ξεκούραστο και δεν σε αφήνει να το αφήσεις.
Δεν είναι το βιβλίο που θα σε κάνει να φιλοσοφήσεις για την ματαιότητα του κόσμου τούτου.
Είναι ένα βιβλίο που μιλά για τέχνη και έρωτα, αν δεν είναι αυτά τα δύο το ίδιο ακριβώς πράγμα.

After Nicolas des Innocents is commissioned to design six unicorn tapestries, many lives are changed forever.

I very much enjoyed this reimagining of how the medieval unicorn tapestries that currently hang in the Cluny Museum in Paris were commissioned and created. Currently a miniaturist portraitist, Nicolas learns the fine art of weaving from master weaver Georges de la Chapelle, and I loved learning about the process along with him. While there, Nicolas meets Georges' family including daughter, Alienor, who was born blind. Unable to weave, Alienor instead has developed very unique talents becoming invaluable to the family business. She was definitely my favorite character (much more than the spoiled Claude who is a nobleman's daughter crushing on Nicolas) but much to my surprise, Nicolas soon became a close second as his character matured from a skirt-chasing rogue to a more caring man and artist. If you love learning about art, then I'd highly recommend this lovely tale woven by such a talented author.

Location: 1490 Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium

Devo dire che questo libro non mi ha particolarmente entusiasmato. Purtroppo non sono riuscita a farlo mio e di questo mi dispiace perché adoro Tracy Chevalier. Rispetto a La ragazza con l'orecchino di perla non regge proprio il confronto. Comunque a parte tutto resta sempre un libro interessante. Le parti che ho apprezzato maggiormente sono quelle in cui viene descritto il lavoro operato dai tessitori e anche dallo stesso pittore, quindi la fase della pittura e poi quella della tessitura. Inoltre trovo il personaggio di Nicolas des Innocents abbastanza piatto e stereotipato, a differenza della ragazza Aliénor che spicca su tutti gli altri.

Considering how much I disliked most of the main protagonists, it's amazing I was unable to put this book down! I actually found the story quite dark: it is a race against the clock, started by a self-absorbed "nouveau riche" who hires the devil incarnate as his project manager, who in turn proceeds to ruin the lives of just about everybody involved in the project. And I couldn't even find solace in a happy ending, because it's pretty much status quo: in the end, almost everyone is "punished", one way or another, but the most deserving characters still end up somehow with the worse lot.

Apart from that, the author does it again with one of those novels that end up teaching me something about a craft I didn't know and showing (imagining) what could have happened behind the scene of history; that is something I really like about Tracy Chevalier's work.
I also enjoyed the change of narrator for every chapter, which made it very lively and varied, and allowed to see the big picture instead of just a few threads (see what I did there?).

So all in all, a good novel, but I have very mixed feelings about it.