God Speed | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Artist | Edmund Leighton |
Year | 1900 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 160 cm× 116 cm(63 in× 46 in) |
Location | Private collection |
God Speed is a painting by British artist Edmund Leighton, depicting an armored knight departing to war and leaving his beloved. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1900. [1] God Speed was the first of several paintings by Leighton during the 1900s on the subject of chivalry, including The Accolade (1901) and The Dedication (1908).
A woman ties a red sash around a knight's arm, [2] bidding farewell before battle.
When the painting was ready for transportation to the Royal Academy, Leighton made a last-moment change in the studio. [3] He scraped out the work of a week and within two hours made his desired change. [3]
After being bought from Leighton, the painting was owned by several people in succession and eventually was put up for sale at Christie's in 1988. [1] It was then housed in an American private collection and in 2000 was again submitted to Christie's. [1]
In 2007, the painting appeared at Sotheby's and then in a British private collection. [1] On 10 May 2012, God Speed was sold again through Sotheby's in London to a private collector for £481,250. [1]