The Accolade (painting)

Common card · No. 208933

The Accolade was painted in 1901 by Edmund Leighton. Accolade refers to "a touch on a person's shoulders with a sword at the bestowing of a knighthood" — it is part of a ceremony to confer knighthood. The man being knighted is likely meant to be the Polish Duke Henry VI the Good, as shown by the coat of arms on his back and on the shield being held by a young boy in the background. The Accolade is one of many paintings by Leighton on the subject of chivalry, with others including God Speed and The Dedication. It is among Leighton’s most recognisable paintings and one he himself liked. Inspirations for the work came from the romanticised medieval revival during the Victorian era and French work on chivalry 'which mentioned that even ladies occasionally conferred the order of knighthood on worthy men'.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Edmund Blair Leighton, Public domain