Lot 278: w - JOS DAMIEN BELGIAN, 1879-1973

PROPERTY FROM A BELGIAN PRIVATE COLLECTION

LE SAINT GRAAL: PARSIFAL À MONTSALVAT

LE SAINT GRAAL: PARSIFAL À MONTSALVAT

143 by 206cm., 56 1/4 by 81 1/8 in.

with the embroidered inscriptions Met Jos Damien l.l., Le Saint Graal u.c. and Parsifal à Montsalvat l.r.

coloured dyes and embroidery on linen backed with silk

EXHIBITED

Hasselt, Béguinage, Exposition Jos. Damien, 1959, no. 150 (illustrated in the catalogue)
Hasselt, Stedelijk Museum Stellingwerff-Waerdenhof, Jos. Damien en Anne Rutten, 1991, no. 90 (illustrated in the catalogue)

NOTE

Executed in 1912, this extraordinary and painstakingly executed work is one of six large-scale 'tableaux de broderie' -- combining painting and embroidery on linen -- inspired by ancient Flemish tapestry making. The other five pictures in the series, also based on medieval legend, are Les Tornéors, Le Vainqueur, Les Gardiens, Enchantement, and Le Rondel. These painted embroideries, which Damien executed with the help of his wife, met with critical acclaim at the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in Paris in 1913.

The present work depicts Parsifal descending Mount Montsalvat with the Holy Grail. The Grail - the holy vessel from which Christ drank at the Last Supper - was kept in the legendary Montsalvat Castle, inaccessible to all mortals except those who did not consciously set out to find it. After many adventures and wanderings Parsifal finds the mortally ill Grail King, Amfortas, who entrusts him with the task of protecting it.

The regal dignity and responsibility bestowed upon Parsifal appealed greatly to King Ludwig II of Bavaria, as it corresponded to his ideal of a 'pure' and holy kingdom. Ludwig encouraged Wagner to compose his famous opera Parsifal, the likely inspiration for the present work.