Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Arthur’s Tomb

1860

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

License this image

Not on display

Artist: Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828–1882
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Dimensions: Support: 235 × 368 mm
frame: 442 × 580 × 38 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Presented by the Art Fund 1918
Reference: N03283

Display caption

This is a copy of Rossetti's first Arthurian subject, made five years earlier. It illustrates a passage in Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Book XXI. Queen Guinevere, who has become a nun after the revelation of her adultery, is visited by her former lover Sir Lancelot. The passage ends: "'madame I pray you kysse me, and never no more'. 'Nay', sayd the quene, 'that shal I never do, but absteyne you from suche werkes.' And they departed.'"

Rossetti heightens the drama by setting the scene over King Arthur's tomb, underlining his obsession with the subject of illicit love.

Gallery label, January 2002

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.

Explore

emotions, concepts and ideas(16,531)
- emotions and human qualities(5,350)
- - love(512)
history(5,786)
- politics and society(2,351)
- - period: Middle Ages(45)
literature and fiction(3,162)
- literature (not Shakespeare)(2,296)
- - Malory, Thomas, Sir, ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’(14)
- tales, legends and traditional(241)
- - Arthurian legend(24)
nature(45,238)
- animals: mammals(4,887)
- - horse(1,592)
- landscape(25,920)
- - wooded(8,258)
- natural phenomena(3,159)
- - shadow(1,313)
- trees(3,278)
- - apple(20)
- weather(3,586)
- - sunshine(506)
objects(23,371)
- religious and ceremonial(1,735)
- - crown(88)
  - gravestone / tomb(319)
- weapons(933)
- - shield(90)
people(35,158)
- actions: expressive(2,631)
- - kissing(91)
  - restraining(22)
- actions: postures and motions(9,101)
- - bending forward(355)
  - kneeling(505)
- adults(22,747)
- - man(10,486)
  - woman(9,064)
work and occupations(14,205)
- military(1,631)
- - knight(38)
- religious(414)
- - nun(41)
- royalty and social rank(1,833)
- - queen(245)

You might like

Dante Gabriel Rossetti The Chapel before the Lists

1857–64
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Roman de la Rose

1864
Dante Gabriel Rossetti St George and Princess Sabra

1862
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
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Paolo and Francesca da Rimini

1855
Dante Gabriel Rossetti The Adoration

1858–64

View by appointment
Dante Gabriel Rossetti The Blue Closet

1857
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Dante’s Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice

1856
Dante Gabriel Rossetti King David

1858–64

View by appointment
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Mary Nazarene

1857
Dante Gabriel Rossetti The Wedding of St George and Princess Sabra

1857
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Mary in the House of St John

1859
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Lucrezia Borgia

1860–1
Dante Gabriel Rossetti David

1858–64

View by appointment
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Joan of Arc

1864

In the shop

Browse the shop