The Lady of the Lake Telleth Arthur of the Sword Excalibur 1893

Aubrey Beardsley made this black ink drawing, titled 'The Lady of the Lake Telleth Arthur of the Sword Excalibur', during the 1890s. It depicts the scene of Arthur receiving the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, a key moment in the Arthurian legend. Created in England, this image shows the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement and the aestheticism of the time. It has the characteristic of detailed, decorative elements, with a stylized representation of nature in the borders and background. Beardsley's interest in medieval themes speaks to a broader cultural fascination with the past. This image makes use of visual codes like Arthur’s armor and Merlin's robes to signal the cultural and historical settings of the story, while the figure of the Lady, floating above the water, infuses the scene with a sense of the uncanny. Historians can research the artist’s influences and cultural context of the Arthurian legends to better understand how the artwork reflects both the history of art institutions and its cultural milieu.