armor
and silk
sacrifice
and promise
what a lucky man
he was
E. Blair Leighton's God-Speed (1900), hand-colourized by the artist. A page cut from the 1900 edition of Royal Academy Pictures.
The story
The picture is a page from the 1900 volume of Royal Academy Pictures, reproducing Edmund Blair Leighton’s God-Speed, shown at the Royal Academy’s summer exhibition that year. Leighton (1852–1922) was best known for scenes of chivalry and courtship.
A knight in armour rides out to war, and a lady on the castle steps ties a sash to his arm as he passes: a token to carry into battle. “God speed” is the old farewell, wishing a traveller a safe and prosperous journey.
The plate was printed in black and white. The colour was added by hand, more than a century later.