In cooperation with the Swedish Royal Armoury, the Niguliste Museum introduces the wondrous world of unicorns

On 7 September the exhibition Unicorn in the Magical Forest opens in the Niguliste Museum, inviting everybody to discover the meaning of the enigmatic unicorn through history and encounter these wondrous creatures in artefacts and works of art from the 16th to the 21st centuries. The exhibition brings to Estonia rare royal unicorns from the Swedish Royal Armoury; it is also possible to view special unicorns from the museums of Estonia and private collections. The curators of the exhibition are Merike Kurisoo (Art Museum of Estonia) and Pia Bengtsson Melin (National Historical Museums of Sweden).

“The works from the Estonian collections introduce the local presence and significance of the unicorn from the Early Modern Period till the present. Hard to capture, the unicorn is associated with magic and mystery. In the course of preparations for the exhibition, a rich world opened up in the Estonian collections. The audience can view truly fascinating works from the 16th -17th centuries, presenting the wondrous creature within the local courtly, town and ecclesiastical cultures,” said the Estonian curator of the exhibition, Merike Kurisoo.

Among the most outstanding works from Estonia, we should definitely mention the engravings from the 16th and 17th centuries, Early Modern Period scholarly publications from the University of Tartu Library, a rare large altar textile from the Lüganuse church from the end of the 17th century and a magnificent painting, Journey to Noah’s Ark by Lambert de Hondt (ca 1650), from the collections of the Kadriorg Art Museum. The bulk of the works from the Estonian collections originate from the 16th and 17th centuries, the period when the kings of Sweden ruled over Estonia and Livonia.

Unicorns became royal symbols in the Nordic countries during the Early Modern Period, in the 16th and 17th centuries. The exhibition in the Niguliste Museum presents the Swedish King Gustav Vasa’s saddle adorned with unicorns from the mid-16th century and the elaborately decorated cuirass of his grandson, King Gustav II Adolf. There is also a golden unicorn’s horn which adorned one of the eight horses in the procession that celebrated the coming of age of King Charles XI of Sweden. Rare Early Modern Period royal artefacts from the Swedish Royal Armoury reveal the symbolic meaning and use of images of the unicorn during the period when the kings of Sweden ruled over Estonia and Livonia. Such rarities from the Royal Swedish Armoury seldom travel outside the country and Estonian history lovers can view them for the first time.

The present exhibition was prompted by a family-oriented exhibition at the Royal Swedish Armoury from October 2022 till April 2024 titled Unicorns. If you believe in me, then I’ll believe in you, wishing to highlight that unicorns have their own place in the royal collections.  “Livrustkammaren is the museum of Swedish royal history, so maybe it is a bit surprising that we organised an exhibition on unicorns a few years ago. However, unicorns can be many things: from historical and royal to modern and playful. We were delighted when the Niguliste Museum expressed their interest in our unicorn exhibition. The initial exposition in Livrustkammaren/The Royal Armoury has been developed over the course of time into something new at the Niguliste Museum. A great number of items from the exhibition at the Swedish Royal Armoury are presented in Tallinn, although the display has also received many new additions from Estonian collections. This shows yet again that unicorns do exist everywhere and are relevant in different places all over the world. In this exhibition Swedish royal unicorns are exhibited alongside Estonian ones. Maybe our unicorns will continue their journey after visiting the Niguliste Museum,” said Malin Grundberg, Director of the Swedish Royal Armoury.

Besides the exhibition, it is possible to explore unicorns and stories associated with them in the playful recreational area! The exhibition is accompanied by a number of different events introducing the wondrous world of unicorns from the beginning of time till today. Besides the traditional opening and closing programmes, events for families and curator tours will take place. Workshops will focus on unicorns, ranging from the scientific perspective to handicrafts. A series of lectures starting in late autumn will present topics ranging from the Early Modern Period rulers of Sweden to fantasy literature. The exhibition also includes educational programmes and days of enhanced study for upper secondary school students. More information on all of the events is available on our web page in the events’ calendar, which is regularly updated. The catalogue of the exhibition will be published in the near future.

The exhibition, with nearly 50 items on display, can be viewed on the two floors of the Small Chapel and the chancel of the Niguliste Museum and is open until 6 April 2025.

Partners:
Livrustkammaren (Swedish Royal Armoury)
National Historical Museums of Sweden

Curators: Pia Bengtsson Melin (National Historical Museums of Sweden) and Merike Kurisoo (Art Museum of Estonia)
Exhibition design: Mae Kivilo
Graphic design: Külli Kaats