Literature Gallery

The Attainment; The Vision of the Holy Grail to Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Percival

BIR68247 The Attainment; The Vision of the Holy Grail to Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Percival, from the series The Quest for the Holy Grail, 1895-96 (wool, silk, mohair and camel hair weft on cotton warp) by Burne-Jones, Edward Coley (1833-98); 695x244 cm; Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery; (add.info.: This sequence of tapestries was originally designed for William Knox D'Arcy, for the dining room of his house, Stanmore Hall in Middlesex (see black and white image). Several further versions were woven later. Birmingham's The Attainment is one of three tapestries commissioned in 1895 by the industrialist Laurence Hodson, for his house Compton Hall near Wolverhampton.
The subject matter is based on the 15th century text Le Morte D'Arthur (The Death of Arthur) by Sir Thomas Malory. It tells the story of the spiritual quest by the knights of King Arthur's round table for the Holy Grail, the cup from which Jesus and the disciples drank at the Last Supper.
The final scene shows the three successful knights. The relative purity of each knight's life is represented by their distance from the Holy Grail, which sits on the altar inside the chapel. Sir Galahad kneels in the doorway surrounded by white lilies, symbolising his purity. On the left are Sir Bors and Sir Perceval.
Three standing angels hold symbols of Christ's passion, including the bleeding lance of Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced his side on the cross. Above the Holy Grail is a Pentecostal wind, symbolising the presence of the Holy Spirit.
flowers by John Henry Dearle (1860-1932)
Manufacturer: Morris & Co - View history); English, out of copyright

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Mr. Murdstone, from David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens, 1923 (colour litho)

KDC465770 Mr. Murdstone, from David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens, 1923 (colour litho) by Clarke, Joseph Clayton (Kyd) (1856-1937); Private Collection; (add.info.: Young David's cruel stepfather, depicted about to beat his stepson; illustration from the series of Character Sketches from Charles Dickens, produced as cigarette cards by John Player & Sons;
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Of brekynge and hurtynge of amyte and frendshyp, illustration from Alexander Barclay's English translation of The Ship of Fools, from an edition published in 1874 (engraving)

486402 Of brekynge and hurtynge of amyte and frendshyp, illustration from Alexander Barclay's English translation of The Ship of Fools, from an edition published in 1874 (engraving) by German School, (15th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Alexander Barclay (c.1476-1552) Scottish born English poet, translated Sebastian Brandt's (1457-1521) Das Narrenschiff, as The Ship of Fools in 1509. Image is a facsimile of the original German woodcut of 1497 and shows a fool beating a humble man.)

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