Galahad Draws the Sword from the Floating Stone - Arthur Rackham
Archival giclée
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Description
A classic Arthurian illustration by Arthur Rackham, depicting Sir Galahad retrieving the sword from the floating stone, rendered in ink and watercolour.
Arthur Rackham produced this illustration for the 1917 edition of The Romance of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, abridged by Alfred W. Pollard from Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur. The scene depicts the moment Sir Galahad retrieves the sword from a block of red-veined marble floating upon the water, a task that confirms his status as the purest knight.
Rackham employs his signature technique, combining fine, calligraphic ink lines with a muted watercolour palette. The composition focuses on the tension between the central figure of Galahad and the surrounding court, including King Arthur, who observes from the wooden platform. The artist uses a controlled wash of colour to define the figures, while the ink work provides the structure for the drapery and the architectural elements of the scene. The water, rendered with rhythmic, undulating lines, creates a sense of movement that contrasts with the solidity of the stone.
This work reflects the stylistic conventions of early twentieth-century British book illustration. Rackham avoids excessive ornamentation, preferring to focus on the narrative clarity of the Arthurian legend. The figures are rendered with a degree of caricature, a common trait in his character studies, which adds a sense of humanity to the mythic subjects. The print captures the specific texture of the original paper and the delicate application of pigment, maintaining the quality of the artist's preparatory work. It is a representative example of how Rackham interpreted classic literature for a contemporary audience, balancing historical costume with his own distinct visual language.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Galahad Draws the Sword from the Floating Stone - Arthur Rackham
Artist Biography
Arthur Rackham
He came back to London and got a job as an insurance clerk at the Westminster Fire Office, studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art. In 1892 he left insurance for the Westminster Budget, where he worked as a reporter and illustrator. The illustration work took over. His watercolour of Winchelsea had already been accepted by the Royal Academy and sold for two guineas when he was twenty-one.
He met the painter Edyth Starkie over a garden fence. She encouraged him to stop imitating other illustrators and follow his own instinct, which ran toward twisted trees, gnarled roots and creatures that lived in the gaps between the real and the imagined. They married in 1903. That same year he illustrated The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, which was reprinted twice and made his name.
His style fused northern European line drawing (Durer, Altdorfer) with Japanese woodblock composition. The trees have faces. The roots have fingers. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Rip Van Winkle followed, the latter a turning point in book production: its fifty-one colour plates demonstrated that colour-separated printing could accurately reproduce original artwork.
Guillermo del Toro cited Rackham as an influence on the Faun in Pan's Labyrinth. Brian Froud credited him with sparking an interest in fairy illustration. He worked until the end: his final commission, The Wind in the Willows, was completed in 1939 shortly before his death at seventy-one.
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