The Mystery of the Holy Grail

The Mystery of the Holy Grail

The legend of King Arthur was one of the most popular and influential in medieval Europe. The mythical monarch supposedly led the resistance of the native Britons against the invading Saxons in the 5th and 6th centuries. There are countless folktales associated with Arthur, but the most authoritative version was written by Geoffrey of Monmouth and included in his History of the Kings of Britain, written in the 1130’s. Arthur and his famous Knights of the Round Table became paragons of chivalry during the Middle Ages, and manuscripts with Arthurian legends often contain detailed depictions of medieval court culture, making them valuable cultural-historical sources. One of the common themes was their quest for the Holy Grail, an object of even greater mythical and symbolic value than the residents of Camelot, which first appeared ca. 1190 in Perceval, the Story of the Grail by Chrétien de Troyes (ca. 1140–90) Arthurian legends enjoyed a resurgence in popularity during the 19th and 20th centuries, inspiring various modern adaptations as well as organizations promoting Arthur as an exemplar of behavior in the modern world. The ten specimens at hand represent some of the finest works of art from this medieval literary tradition:

1. “Lancelot und Galeholt at the Castle of Isle Perdue”, 1450–1485

2. “Merlin‘s Birth and Baptism”, 1480/85

3. “Knights at the Roundtable”, ca. 1470

4. “King Arthur as a Good Host”, ca. 1470

5. “The Wedding of King Arthur and Guinevere”, 1450–1468

6. “Gallahad is Knighted”, 1463

7. “Meliadus Meets the King of Scotland”, ca. 1450

8. “Lancelot and Guinevere”, early–14th century

9. “Parzival, Condwiramur, and Feirefiz”, 1250–1270

10. “The Knights’ Return from Battle”, 1425–1450