God Speed! (A Prayer for Safety)

On the stone steps of a castle, a knight in shining armor, mounted on a white horse, prepares to depart for battle. Beside him, a beautiful maiden with flowing golden hair ties a crimson sash around his arm.

This act of presenting a red sash before departure is more than just a charm. It is a poignant ritual, a solemn promise for their reunion: 'Return alive, and bring this back to me.'

A perfectly idealized medieval romance, as if plucked from a storybook. Yet, when this painting was unveiled in 1900, this scene was by no means a 'distant fantasy of the past' for its audience.