Sir Galahad
Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Eleanor Siddal, Mrs Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Holborn 1829 – Chatham Place, London 1862)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
Unknown
Materials
Chalk and graphite on paper
Measurements
120 mm (W); 150 mm (H)
Collection
Wightwick Manor, West Midlands
NT 1291775
Summary
Chalk and graphite drawing. A Knight from the legend of King Arthur's Round Table. Sir Galahad kneeling praying drops his shield in astonishment at the angel's arrival. They show him a vision of the Holy Grail. The search for the grail was the main quest for the Knights. Two drawings of Sir Galahad are in Wightwick's collection.SIddal tries out different poses for Sir Galahad in the sketches. Intended as a book illustration for Moxon's Tennyson (1857), the subject is from Tennyson's Sir Galahad poem: 'A gentle sound, an awful light!/Three angels bear the holy grail:/With folded feet, in stoles of white,/On sleeping wings they sail./Ah, blessed vision! blood of God!' Medieval subjects became an important inspiration for the Pre-Raphaelite artists. These drawings of Sir Galahad are some of the earliest representations of Arthurian themes in Pre-Raphaelite art, indicating that Lizzie was among the first to develop the idea. In the early 19th century there was great enthusiasm for the Middle Ages, and original medieval texts such as Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur were reprinted. English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), wrote the poem Sir Galahad, which was published in 1842 as part of a collection of poetry entitled English Idyls, and Other Poems. It captured the Victorian imagination, and became a kind of national poem. Sir Galahad, Sir Launcelot’s son, was the only Knight considered worthy of attaining the Grail, due to his chastity and piety. The Grail was said to be the cup from the Last Supper which was used at the Crucifixion to receive blood flowing from Christ’s side. A finished watercolour for Sir Galahad and the Holy Grail, a collaboration between Siddal and Rossetti, shows the two artists working together. However, the sketches for it all seem to have been executed by Siddal. Probably Charles Fairfax Murray; by descent to his son Arthur R. Murray; purchased Sotheby's 15 February 1961, part of lot 6 (an album of drawings and sketches mostly by Elizabeth Siddal); purchased by Sir Geoffrey Mander, c.£120-170 the lot; (Sir Geoffrey Mander later sold 6 of the pictures in the purchased lot to Jeremy Maas, including Siddal's Lady of Shalott); transferred to the National Trust on the death of Rosalie Glynn Grylls, Lady Mander (1905 - 1988). This drawing is recto-verso with 1291776.
Full description
A Knight from the legend of King Arthur's Round Table. Sir Galahad kneeling praying drops his shield in astonishment at the angel's arrival. They show him a vision of the Holy Grail. The search for the grail was the main quest for the Knights. Two drawings of Sir Galahad are in Wightwick's collection.SIddal tries out different poses for Sir Galahad in the sketches. Intended as a book illustration for Moxon's Tennyson (1857), the subject is from Tennyson's Sir Galahad poem: 'A gentle sound, an awful light!/Three angels bear the holy grail:/With folded feet, in stoles of white,/On sleeping wings they sail./Ah, blessed vision! blood of God!' Medieval subjects became an important inspiration for the Pre-Raphaelite artists. These drawings of Sir Galahad are some of the earliest representations of Arthurian themes in Pre-Raphaelite art, indicating that Lizzie was among the first to develop the idea. In the early 19th century there was great enthusiasm for the Middle Ages, and original medieval texts such as Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur were reprinted. English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), wrote the poem Sir Galahad, which was published in 1842 as part of a collection of poetry entitled English Idyls, and Other Poems. It captured the Victorian imagination, and became a kind of national poem. Sir Galahad, Sir Launcelot’s son, was the only Knight considered worthy of attaining the Grail, due to his chastity and piety. The Grail was said to be the cup from the Last Supper which was used at the Crucifixion to receive blood flowing from Christ’s side. A finished watercolour for Sir Galahad and the Holy Grail, a collaboration between Siddal and Rossetti, shows the two artists working together. However, the sketches for it all seem to have been executed by Siddal. Probably Charles Fairfax Murray; by descent to his son Arthur R. Murray; purchased Sotheby's 15 February 1961, part of lot 6 (an album of drawings and sketches mostly by Elizabeth Siddal); purchased by Sir Geoffrey Mander, c.£120-170 the lot; (Sir Geoffrey Mander later sold 6 of the pictures in the purchased lot to Jeremy Maas, including Siddal's Lady of Shalott); transferred to the National Trust on the death of Rosalie Glynn Grylls, Lady Mander (1905 - 1988). This drawing is recto-verso with 1291776.
Makers and roles
Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Eleanor Siddal, Mrs Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Holborn 1829 – Chatham Place, London 1862), artist
Exhibition history
The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story, William Morris Gallery, London , 2022 - 2023 The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Cumbria, 2022 - 2023 The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story, Falmouth Art Gallery, 2022 - 2023