Maison des Viste

The Viste family gained their wealth, like so many other families during the rise of Lyon as one of the great trading capitals of the kingdom from the end of the XIV century. In the XV century they had a house built nowadays nicknamed the "house of the pine cones" due to its sculpted design (small stone pine cones along a string course). If you have had the opportunity to visit the National Medieval Museum in Paris, you will no doubt have admired the famous Dame à la Licorne, one of the jewels of the Middle Ages. This tapestry was made at the request of Jean la Viste at the end of the XV Century. This masterpiece illustrates well the power of the Viste family whose crest can be recognized on various parts of the tapestry.