Summary
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 in the Royal Academy of Arts in 1900.[1] God Speed was the first of several paintings by Leighton in the 1900s on the subject of chivalry, including The Accolade (1901) and The Dedication (1908).
| God Speed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Edmund Leighton |
| Year | 1900 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 160 cm × 116 cm (63 in × 46 in) |
| Location | Private collection |
Composition edit
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]
Provenance edit
After being bought from Leighton, the painting was owned by several people and in 1988 appeared at Christie's.[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 for £481,250 to a private collector through Sotheby's in London.[1]