Dante Gabriel Rossetti, How Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Percival Were Fed with the Sanct Grael; but Sir Percival's Sister Died by the Way 1864
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Rossetti once described Malory's Morte d'Arthur as one of the greatest books in the world and drew inspiration from it for a number of his designs. Here he unites two scenes from the text. One relates to Percival, who achieves the Grail quest with his fellow knights, Galahad and Bors. The other relates to his sister who gives her life to heal a woman who could only be saved by the blood of a virgin. Rossetti shows the knights receiving the Grail before an altar. Beside them Percival's sister lies on the ground awaiting burial. The lily symbolises her purity.
January 2002
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