The Arming and Departure of the Knights of the Round Table on the Quest for the Holy Grail [from The Holy Grail Tapestries]. Designed by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt ARA (1833-1898) and made by Morris & Co. while at Merton Abbey, 1891-94. Cotton, wool and silk, 244 x 362 cm © Creative Commons Images (Birmingham Museums Trust). Click on the image to enlarge it.
The bustle of departure is palpable here. The imminent exchange of mixed company for an enterprise of brotherhood is emphasised by the grouping of the armed or arming knights behind a fringe of delicately clothed women. Queen Guinevere with her crown is on the left, at the castle portal, handing Lancelot his shield; of the next two "fair ladies," one holds a sword, and another his helmet (Lancelot is the only knight who is still bare-headed) . The next stands between two horses, another has just passed over a lance, which her hand still grasps, and one on the far right holds both lance and shield — perhaps for a straggler. Red tulips bloom at this one's feet, suggestive of the blood that my be spilled in the knights' quest. Behind this one, in contrast to the flowers in the foreground, lies a dark wood. Though stylised, it has the breath of humanity. It is, quite literally, a fabulous work of art. — Jacqueline Banerjee.
At the time of writing, the tapestry is on display at an exhibition touring in Britain in 2022-23 under the title The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story (William Morris Gallery, London; Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle; Falmouth Art Gallery).
Bibliography
Rigby, Natalie, ed. The Legend of King Arthur: Pilgrimage, Place and the Pre-Raphaelites. Bristol: Sansom and Company, 2022. [Review of the book accompanying the exhibition.]
Created 2 December 2022