Medieval Tapestries Rock The Holy Grail

The story of the Holy Grail is perhaps one of the oldest stories concerning a Christian mythology. The Holy Grail is the mythical dish that was said to be used by Jesus Christ himself during the Last Supper and was brought by Joseph of Arimathea to Britain. It first appeared in literature in Chretien de Troye’s "Conte del Graal" ("Story of the Grail), written in Old French, and later on written as romances during the 12th and 13th century, it has managed to survive the contemporary setting and is still currently being used in modern-day literature by acclaimed writers, from Alfred Tennyson to Umberto Eco.

One of art form that used the Holy Grail theme as an inspiration is the Holy Grail tapestries. Originally woven between 1892 and 1895, the Holy Grail tapestry was designed by English designer Edward Burne-Jones, with the help of William Morris and John Henry Dearle. The Holy Grail tapestries depicts the Knights of the Round Table’s quest for the fabled grail. The Holy Grail piece is actually a series of six tapestries which follows the narrative structure of the popular story on the quest for the Holy Grail. Each of the tapestries in the series depicts different parts of the Knight’s search for the mythical grail. According to research, Burne-Jones based his artwork on the poem Malore d’ Arthur which said finding the Holy Grail became one of the Knights of the Round Table’s main objectives, as it is said that the grail has mystical powers.

The first in the series is "The Knights of the Round Table Summoned to the Quest by a Strange Damsel," which shows the start of their quest for the Holy Grail, and ends with the knights—the only three who survived quest, out of hundreds—looking at the grail outside a chapel. It shows Sir Galahad kneeling in the chapel’s doorway, surrounded by lilies, which is a common symbolism for purity. As with most medieval tapestries, it has Christian undertones and themes, such as the Passion on the Cross of Jesus Christ.

The tapestries were sold to Morris and to BM&AG in 1907, making it available for public subscription. Today, the Holy Grail tapestries can be purchased through its replicas, in adherence to Morris’ belief that saw art as merely mass produced objects. Although this ideal is known to remove the dynamism of art present in the original work, all replicas of the Holy Grail series out in the market can be viewed as the artist’s triumph against the process of mass production. These replicas are of top quality, with the intention of the artist left intact, as the craftsmanship and superb technique of Burne-Jones can be seen even today in these Medieval tapestries.

The Quest of The Holy Grail Medieval Tapestries
Exciting tales are woven into beautiful wall hangings with these Medieval tapestry works-of-art.