The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-13
EDWIN A. ABBEY,S DECORATIONS.
On exhibition at the American Art Gal

vi
leries until Dec. 81 are ten decorations.
which have been executed by Edwin A.
Abbey for the frieze Of the Delivery Room
In the Boston Public Library. They are
the last Of the series Of fifteen, five Of
which have long been in place.
The subject embodied in this cycle is
.The Quest of the Holy Grail" or rather GER
tain incidents of that legend, which grew
by accretion like the Homeric cycle and
may, not unftly. be regarded as the Had
of primitive Christianity and Knighthood.
1t is a plant Of the Celtic Imagination, that
had its roots in pagan folklore; gradually
brought into Christian form, though still
retaining much Of the pre-Christian myths;
grated upon with a further crop Of Incl
dents that arose out Of the patriotic struggle
Of the Britons against the Saxon invader:
then Appropriated by the Saxon conqueror
and later transplanted TO France and Ger
many, its growth being continually affected
by its new environment. Out of the con-
geries OF motives Mr.. Abbey has selected
those which are especially related
to tho myth Of the San Greal or Sang Real,
for the Gallo Imagination fastened on the
anagram of Holy Cup and Real Blood. 1t
was the cup out Of which the Saviour par
took at the Last Supper; obtained from
Pontius Plate by the rich man, Joseph of
Arimathea. who caught in it the blood that
flowed anew from the sacred side, when the
Body was being taken down from the cross.
Joseph traversed the seas to Glastonbury.
in the west Of England, carrying with him
the divine relic and placing ii in the Castle
of the Grail where il must remain invisible to
mortal eye until there shout com. in search
of it a Knight of perfect purity. Then, be-
fore il vanished for ever, it would bring
peace again on earth, and be the source Of
all knowledge, life and power.
For his stainless Knight. Mr.. Abbey.
rejecting the Parsifal Of the Teutonic YER
sion, has chosen the young British hero,
Sir Galahad. In the first five pictures.
already in place, he brings the Quest as far
as the Knights visit 10 the castle of the
Fisher King, Amfortas, the King of the
Grail Castle, who because he had taken up
arms in the cause of an unholy love lies
with all his cour under the paralysis of
deathless age. The Procession of the
Grail passes before the youths eyes, and
had he asked its meaning the cup borne
in the procession would nave been revealed
to him and the spell would have been lifted
from Amfortas to whom the comfort of
death would have come. But a SAVIOR of
worldly wisdom in the youths mind prompts
the answer; the question is not put n
another nance OF putting il must be la
bored for.
II is here that the new pictures pick
up the thread of the story. In the woods
outside the castle roam the Loathly Lady
and two companions, one of them in boys
attira uhp ttr0aa the Cthara on with "a
scourge. They, too. are under the spell,
doomed against their viii to lure Knights
10 sin and death, until the stainless one
shall come. Sir Galahad has come and
failed: md, as he kneels in an attitude of
contrition, they aSsail him with icers and
curses. In the next picture his active
penance has begun. Single-handed, he
meets the onslaught of the seven Knights
Of the Deadly Sins, who keep the Virtues
imprisoned. His victory opens the prison
gates; we see him next receiving the keys
from the hand Of a monk who blesses
him. The following picture records his
reception by the Virtues, a long line of
beautiful maidens. of whom those nearest
to him touch their hands to his. In the
next he has welded Blanchefleur and is
leaving her. his love and hers still a maiden
one. 10 pursue the Quest. Again he visits
Amfortas, this time TO remove the spell;
aud the old King is represented dying in
his arms, while over them floats the Angel
of the Grail, beckoning the youth to further
wandering In ia" picture which follows
he is setting forth. without his coat OF
mail, for the land is once more at peace
and the people, knceling and standing,
bless him az he goes. The Quest takes
him across the sea and We find him kneel-
ing in the boat. which the Grail, borne
10y an angel AZ the prov, pilots to Sarras
A view of the little city, GROWING q rocky
eminencc, il shown and finally the end
il come. Sir Galahad. now King 81 Sarras,
cnnapcrates a sacred place upon a hill
and builds a golden tree. When its beauti-
hcaiion il completed, Joseph appears
with the Grail amid a company - angels
Tie crown. sreptrc aud robe fall from
the youth and a. lie hfs up his face In
alteration. II IN a. the face of a child Ia
u. absolute uncpn-ciousucSs ~ sn
THIS brief ummarv may suggest the
-ouT- - the conception rmhudi"d In ths'se
paintings and th" magnitude q the cnoft
involved No such roip"m" u decoration,
al once ~ vitality Significant ln relation
20 the W~rll--purF- Of .ur civilization 90 ~
GENEROUS iu -ralr fr Sargent decorations
Al Boston are not yet uli-h.i har been at.
t.mp'"l u oar tins Boston ha- a."
~ giving th" r1mui-.iuu. but ~ mu-l
rDt b.. u,,I. lrl chat ihH amount PAID
fof thi, work GOOD, i.F.rr Co. drffay tlr
D.-f vLl.N 20 bee ],ntallai o. Lar la..u
essentially aI.r OF b.to NJ Auh-,
o. l.,..I.u o. e Fratt .@uIsrlntN
-. f# D.. I-. ..