For God and Glory; Country and King, the knights of Europe roamed the lands and preformed the duties given to them by kings and religious leaders starting in the year of 1098 with the Order of Saint Lazarus. This Gallery showcases paintings and sketches of knights that span from the early 1500s to the late 1800s.
Charles I (1600-49) with M. de St Antoine, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, 1633, From the collection of: Royal Collection Trust, UK
Charles I depicts a man in shining armor upon a white steed under an archway with another man in red labeled as St Antoine next to him holding his helmet. We see that Charles and his horse take up most of the space in the frame giving him more importance to his footed counterpart. The shine of his armor make it gleam like freshly polished steel.
The Knight and the Maid, William Powell Firth, 1868/1868, From the collection of: South Shields Museum and Art Gallery
The Knight and the Maid depicts a knight trying to flatter a young woman with compliments as she seems to be refilling his cup. The textures in the painting are very detailed in order to breathe life into this painting. Every single rivet on his armor stands out and you can even see particular areas that look hammered or dented by war.
Young Knight in a Landscape, Vittore Carpaccio, 1510, From the collection of: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
Young Knight and Landscape shows what seems to be a fairly new knight in front of animals, rolling hills attached to his home castle and another mounted knight leaving the castle gates. This painting seems to be emphasizing the knight’s role as protector of his home realm by having his hand on his sword, prepared to swing at any enemy. They contrast him to his background by muting all the colors compared to his armor and red undergarments.
Knight at the Crossroads, Victor Vasnetsov, 1882, From the collection of: The State Russian Museum
Knight at the Crossroads shows a mounted knight on a white steed who’s head like his rider is bowed in respect towards a grave or marker. The knight holds a lance and there is a of skeleton of another horse and rider on the ground. He and his horse like Charles I take up most of the the frame once again. In order to emphasize on the somberness of the scene the colors are muted.
Study for 'The Red Cross Knight', John Singleton Copley, 1738–1815, American, active in Britain (from 1776), ca. 1793, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Study for the Red Cross Knight shows a knight waltzing into a room with his shield held high in victory and lance pointed towards the ground. Two young maidens stand in awe as he passes, distracted from what they were originally doing. The colors in this painting are very airy and dreamlike with soft blues and browns. The fabrics in the painting seem to float through the air.
(Back), From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
In the painting The Ransom a knight is depicted paying men for the release of two young girls who may be the knights daughters from their captors as several men and a dog look on. He is dressed for a fight in shining armor and behind them is a well painted tapestry. The textures in this painting scream for life as the fur on the one gentleman’s coat and the dog appears to be real as if you could reach out and pet it.
Study for 'The Sleeping Knights', Edward Burne-Jones, About 1870, From the collection of: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
Study for the Sleeping Knights shows four knights sleeping in a field while taking a small break from their travels, they might have just bathed as they are all unclothed and are sleeping on their shields; their armor scattered around the grass. The colors used for the painting are warm tones of brown and green making the painting feel like a warm lazy afternoon in mid-summer.
Two Knights in Architectural Setting, Unidentified Artist, 1575, From the collection of: Harvard Art Museums
Two Knights in Architectural Setting shows two knights in a stained glass painting. One of the knights holds a halberd and wears more informal armor. The other knight stands in full armor and is holding a flag. Between the two is a crest with what appears to be a black armored dog above it and on either side of the crest are cherubs. The stained glass is colorful and very detailed as there is no empty space in the staining; even behind the knights you can see reliefs of smaller knights and wars.
Knight in Armor, Holding a Halberd, Swabian School, c. 1500, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
This Study depicts a knight in full armor facing away from us with a halberd in hand. You can see all the details that separate each piece of armor and there are lots of delicate lines to denote the designs on the armor itself. The lightness of the sketch helps to show the form of the character without over doing the colors or image
Knight, Death and Devil, Albrecht Dürer, 1513, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Knight Death and Devil is similar to that of the Study of the Knight is merely a sketch of a knight riding on horseback next to another rider who seems to be a skeletal character who is crowned with snakes and holds an hour glass. Following behind the two characters on foot is a pig headed creature with a spear. The entirety of the artwork is made up of extremely small details; many tiny lines and squares come together to create the image as a whole.
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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
