Who painted Woman with a Unicorn?

Woman with a Unicorn was painted by Giorgione in 1510-01-01.

Where can I see Woman with a Unicorn?

Woman with a Unicorn is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Woman with a Unicorn?

Woman with a Unicorn is associated with High Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Woman with a Unicorn?

Museum-quality prints of Woman with a Unicorn are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Woman with a Unicorn by Giorgione (1510)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting presents a woman accompanied by a unicorn, a motif traditionally linked to purity, chastity, and courtly love in Renaissance allegory.

The painting presents a woman accompanied by a unicorn, a motif traditionally linked to purity, chastity, and courtly love in Renaissance allegory. In this context the unicorn’s presence alongside the figure underscores themes of virtuous femininity and the idealized union of love, reflecting contemporary symbolic associations within the allegorical genre.

The work’s iconography draws on the unicorn’s long‑standing emblematic role, wherein the creature’s horn was believed to possess the power to neutralize poison and to recognize the pure of heart, reinforcing the subject’s moral virtue. Scholars interpret the pairing as an emblem of both spiritual refinement and earthly desire, a duality often explored in Venetian allegorical paintings of the early sixteenth century.

Attributed to Giorgione and dated to 1510, the piece is housed in the Rijksmuseum and the Führermuseum, where it has been featured in exhibitions examining mythic beasts in art, further emphasizing its significance as a visual meditation on the symbolic potency of the unicorn.

Technique & Style

The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, originating from Venice around 1510. Classified as an allegory, it depicts a woman accompanied by a unicorn. The piece measures 28 cm in height and 39 cm in width.

While traditionally associated with Giorgione, some attributions describe it as being in the manner of the master by an unknown artist. The formal qualities align with the Venetian allegorical tradition of the early sixteenth century.

History & Provenance

The painting is held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, accessioned under the inventory number SK-C-1360. It entered the museum through the Stichting Nederlands Kunstbezit (Dutch Art Foundation) in 1945.

It was included in the exhibition Unicorn: The Mythical Beast in Art, held in Venice.

Context

Attribution of the 1510 painting Woman with a Unicorn remains a subject of scholarly debate, with some sources identifying the creator as Giorgione while others classify the work as by an unknown artist working in his manner. Created in Venice during the height of the Italian Renaissance, the allegorical piece reflects the period's engagement with mythical symbolism and portraiture. The work's provenance includes the collection of the Führermuseum and the Rijksmuseum, where it is currently held.

Its classification as an allegory depicting a woman and a unicorn situates it within the broader tradition of Venetian painting that blended humanist themes with enigmatic narrative elements.

Legacy

The work Woman with a Unicorn has shaped the reception of mythic imagery in European painting. Its allegorical pairing of a woman and a unicorn informed later depictions of chastity and courtly love across the sixteenth century. The painting’s composition was frequently referenced in treatises on emblematic art and inspired copies by artists such as Titian and Rubens, reinforcing the unicorn’s symbolic resonance in Renaissance visual culture.

Overview

Created around 1510, this oil painting by the Venetian master Giorgione presents an allegorical scene in which a seated woman gently strokes a unicorn lying beside her. The work is part of the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it is displayed among other Renaissance pieces.