The Death of Sir Galahad while taking a Portion of the Holy Grail administered by Joseph of Arimathea
1855 – 1859
Accession number: 1922P19
Pen and ink over pencil on paper.
Width: 166 mm
Height: 188 mm
Information
The subject of this drawing is taken from Sir Thomas Malory's 'Morte d'Arthur'. It depicts Sir Galahad, the greatest of the Arthurian Knights, at the culmination of his Quest for the Grail: he died after experiencing a vision in which he received the sacrament of Holy Communion from St. Joseph of Arimathea. Other Arthurian characters appear in the roundels. The style of the work, with its distinctive, angular figures, is similar to that of drawings produced by Solomon in his mid-teens, so it may be datable to as early as 1855. A more irreverent treatment of Arthurian legend can be seen in Solomon's 'Sir Galipot and the Holy Gruel'.
- Presented by Mr. A. E. Anderson, 1922.
- © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
Makers
| Association | Artist | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Artist | Simeon Solomon | - |
Inscriptions
| Type | Position(s) | Method | Date(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOSEPH of ARIMATHY... | ||||
| Text | top left | Handwritten | - | |
| SIR GALAHAD | ||||
| Text | middle right | Handwritten | - | |
| SIR GALAHAD | ||||
| Text | middle left | Handwritten | - | |
| LA BELLE ISONDE SIR TRISTRAM | ||||
| Text | top right | Handwritten | - | |
| SIR LAUNCELOT QUEEN GUENEVER | ||||
| Text | middle right | Handwritten | - | |
Exhibitions
| Catalogue No. | Venue | Date(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love Revealed: Simeon Solomon and the Pre-Raphaelites | |||
| 15 | Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery | 2005-10-01 - 2006-01-15 | |
| 15 | Museum Villa Stuck, Munich | 2006-03-09 - 2006-06-18 | |
| 15 | Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum of Art | 2006-09-11 - 2006-11-26 | |
Literature
| Author(s) | Date(s) | Publisher | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: Catalogue of the Permanent Collection of Drawings | |||
| A E Whitley | 1939 | Bemrose & Sons, Ltd., Derby | pp. 400-401. |
| The Vision of Simeon Solomon | |||
| Simon Reynolds | 1984 | Catalpa Press Ltd., Stroud, Glos | pl. 14. |
| The Life and Work of Simeon Solomon 1840-1905 | |||
| Gayle Seymour | 1986 | University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, Michigan | fig. 41, p. 264; p. 43. |
| Glastonbury Abbey: The Holy House at the head of the Moors Adventurous | |||
| James Patrick Carley | 1988 | The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk | p. 91. |
Associated people
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| Sir Galahad | - |
| Joseph of Arimathea | - |
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