Artwork
Unicorns (Legend—Sea Calm)
Unicorns (Legend—Sea Calm) is an oil painting by the Symbolist artist Arthur B. Davies. It dates from 1906 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Arthur Bowen Davies created Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm) in 1906, employing oil paint to render a tranquil, dreamlike composition.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm) presents a serene, mythic landscape populated by a unicorn, a woman, trees, and hills, according to the work's cataloguing.
Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm) presents a serene, mythic landscape populated by a unicorn, a woman, trees, and hills, according to the work's cataloguing. The pairing of a unicorn with a female figure draws on long-standing Western iconographic traditions in which the unicorn is associated with purity, innocence, and feminine virtue, frequently appearing in the company of a maiden in medieval and Renaissance imagery. The inclusion of natural elements, trees and rolling hills, frames the encounter within a pastoral, otherworldly setting rather than a specific historical or biblical narrative.
The title's reference to a "legend" and "sea calm" reinforces the painting's departure from observed reality, signaling that the scene operates as allegory or dreamlike reverie. Davies thus deploys familiar symbolic motifs to evoke a contemplative, idealized vision rather than depict a literal event.
Technique & Style
Painted in 1906 in oil on canvas, Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm) is a horizontal composition measuring 46.4 cm in height and 102.2 cm in width. The handling combines fluid, atmospheric glazes for the sky and sea with more deliberate, linear draftsmanship in the silhouetted tree and figures. Stylistically, the work merges Symbolist figuration with a muted palette and simplified contours, evoking a dreamlike narrative through the juxtaposition of the recumbent woman, the upright tree, and the unicorn. No conservation notes are provided in the cited records, so condition cannot be assessed here.
History & Provenance
Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm) was created in 1906 by the American artist Arthur Bowen Davies. Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work measures 46.4 centimeters in height and 102.2 centimeters in width. The painting depicts a scene featuring unicorns, women, trees, and hills.
It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the specific commission details and original ownership chain prior to its arrival at the museum are not detailed in the available records, the work's inception is firmly dated to 1906. The piece remains a significant example of Davies's mythological imagery from this period.
Arthur Bowen Davies's 1906 oil painting, Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm), is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the work is cataloged within the museum's holdings as a canvas painting measuring 46.4 cm in height and 102.2 cm in width. The piece depicts a scene featuring unicorns, women, trees, and hills.
No information regarding the specific exhibition history of this work is contained within the provided sources, nor are details regarding its provenance or acquisition date recorded in the current data set.
Overview
Arthur Bowen Davies created Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm) in 1906, employing oil paint to render a tranquil, dreamlike composition. This painting exemplifies the Symbolist movement, presenting a serene tableau featuring a lone woman and mythical creatures within a hushed landscape. It is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Context
As an American avant-garde artist, Arthur Bowen Davies was a significant figure in promoting modern art within the United States during the early 20th century. His engagement with the Symbolist movement, which prioritized evocative imagery and subjective experience over literal representation, is evident in Unicorns (Legend, Sea Calm). The work reflects the period's interest in spiritual and mythological themes.
Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur Bowen Davies (September 26, 1862 – October 24, 1928) was an avant-garde American artist and influential advocate of modern art in the United States c. 1910–1928.
