The Accolade

The Accolade is a stunning work of art by Pre-Raphaelite, Edmund Blair Leighton (1853 – 1922), well known for his pieces on life in the medieval period. In this piece, a hero kneels before the lady of the court dressed in white and bathed in white light as he is knighted before an audience. It is a tribute to the stories in the Merlin and Arthurian legends, where the honor of knighthood and duty to the king is romanticized. The details here reflects the expertise which Leighton puts into all his pieces to enable us to look onto a medieval scene in astonishing detail. He illuminates the scene in a pure white light from the court window, accents the precision of focus on the knight and lady, the details of all garments, and a softness in the audience in the background to highlight this moment in all its splendor. This tapestry is unlined and has a tunnel for easy hanging.