The Unicorn Found

Originally produced around 1250, this reproduction of an elaborate bestiary that is housed in the Bodleian Library in Oxford shows the meticulous craft that was employed for these illuminated manuscripts. The earliest versions of these tomes from the Middle Ages were transcribed and embellished by monks and used for instruction within cloister walls. The lavishness of the Liber Bestiarum, however, supports that it was crafted for an aristocratic, rather than a humble monastic, life. Illuminations in this bestiary are also exceptional for the frequent depictions of interactions between the human and animal realms. The unicorn on this page is blue, one of the three traditional colors found in representations (white, blue, and black).