God Speed (painting)
 | |
| Artist | Edmund Leighton |
|---|---|
| Year | 1900 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 160 cm × 116 cm (63 in × 46 in) |
| Location | Private collection |
God Speed is a painting by British artist Edmund Leighton, depicting an armored knight departing to war and leaving his beloved. The woman ties a red sash around the knight's arm, which he is meant to return, a medieval custom which assured both parties that they would be reunited, alive and well.[1] A griffin on the banister of the stairs is a symbol of strength and military courage.[1] The knight departs through a castle gate with portcullis. The painting was exhibited in the Royal Academy of Arts in 1900.[2]
God Speed was the first of several paintings by Leighton in the 1900s on the subject of chivalry, the others being The Accolade (1901) and The Dedication (1908).
Provenance
After being bought from Leighton, the painting was kept by several people and in 1988 appeared at Christie's.[2] It was then housed in an American private collection and in 2000 was again submitted to Christie's.[2] In 2007 the painting appeared at Sotheby's and then in a British private collection.[2] On 10 May 2012 God Speed was sold again to a private collector through Sotheby's in London.[2]