Examining The Quest and the Achievement of the Holy Grail Murals by Edwin Austin Abbey

Sir Lancelot and Sir Bors outfit Galahad with his spurs
Source: Boston Public Library

I’ve written many times about my great love of Pre-Raphaelite art. Although it’s not something I know much about, it is a style that I find very attractive on an aesthetic level.

If you want to know more about the style, I suggest you read this excellent essay. However, I can tell you that Pre-Raphaelite artists believed art should portray “serious” subjects, such as literature, poetry, mythology, and history. In particular, they drew inspiration from medieval art.

Although Edwin Austin Abbey (the artist I’m discussing today) was not a Pre-Raphaelite artist, his work owes much to the Pre-Raphaelite tradition. Abbey, who was a famed illustrator and muralist, employed the same realism tinged with the mystical symbolism that makes Pre-Raphaelite art so appealing. The Quest and the Achievement of the Holy Grail Murals—commissioned by the Boston Public Library (where they can still be seen)—are a good example of this style.

According to the library, Abbey drew his subject matter from the legendary Quest for the Holy Grail, specifically basing his work upon Alfred, Lord Tennyson's version of the Arthurian tale. Tales of the Holy Grail tend to be associated with virtue and valor. According to my research, “The Grail was said to be the cup of the Last Supper and at the Crucifixion to have received blood flowing from Christ's side...The search for the vessel became the principal quest of the knights of King Arthur...With the passing of the Middle Ages, the Grail disappears until the 19th century when medieval history and legend awoke the interest of writers...The symbol of the Grail as a mysterious object of search and as the source of the ultimate mystical, or even physical, experience has persisted into the present century [through the work of these writers].” 

The Golden Tree
Source: Boston Public Library

The murals present a dream-like image of a romanticized medieval world, painting the mythical tale in deep, jewel tones and snowy whites. The imagery itself is otherworldly, calling on obscure literary references and mystical symbolism to convey narrative points.

Aside from telling the story of the Grail, on a deeper level the mural series reflects the Western cultural values ascendent during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: a belief in a glorious Western tradition that conveyed lasting superiority to its descendents. The murals reflect an imaginary past, a sanitized vision of the origins of Western culture that bears no resemblance to reality.

View the complete mural series.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.