Lot 73

The Collection of the High Court of Australia, Canberra

The Lady and the Unicorn, Australian Galleries, 10 February - 24 June 2018 (another example)

Pearce, B., Arthur Boyd Retrospective, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1993, cat. no. 183 (another example)
Pearce, B., McKenzie, J., Kolenberg, H., Arthur Boyd: 30 Paintings 1985-1994, 23 Etchings, 1993, Australian Galleries, Melbourne, 1994, pp. 37, 38 (another example)
McKenzie, J., Arthur Boyd: Art & Life, Thames & Hudson, Melbourne, 2000, pp. 147, 149 (illus., another example)
Bungey, D., Arthur Boyd: A Life, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2007, pp. 510, 512 (another example)

Comprising: (i) Invocation; (ii) The Unicorn and the Ark, (iii) The Unicorn's Survival Litany; (iv) Christ names his Cross for the Unicorn; (v) The Unicorn in the Forest; (vi) Enter the Emperor I; (vii) Enter the Emperor II; (viii) The Unicorn sees the Lady; (ix) The Hunters set out to Trap the Unicorn I; (x) The Hunters set out to Trap the Unicorn II; (xi) The Unicorn's Love Dance. The Lady's Acceptance; (xii) The Unicorn in Love; (xiii) The Lady Betrays the Unicorn I; (xiv) The Lady Betrays the Unicorn; (xv) The Hunters Trap the Unicorn; (xvi) The Unicorn before the Emperor I; (xvii) The Unicorn before the Emperor II; (xviii) The Unicorn's Prison Song; (xix) The Unicorn and the Angel; (xx) Death of the Unicorn I; (xxi) Death of the Unicorn II; (xxii) The Lady's Wedding; (xxiii) The Lady's Bridal Night; (xxiv) Epilogue.

"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."
(Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney)

Other examples of this suite are held in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; and National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

RELATED WORK:
Arthur Boyd, The Lady and the Unicorn: Invocation 1974, dyed wool on cotton, 363 x 254cm, The Collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

© Arthur Boyd/Copyright Agency, 2023