Jessie Marion King (1876-1949)

Jessie Marion King studied at Glasgow School of Art. Her style is particularly influenced by art nouveau and the Glasgow School as well as by the paintings of Boticelli which she studied on a tour of Italy. Many of her book illustrations, such as the present work, were done on parchment, and the intricate designs are often surrounded by borders populated with stylised depictions of flora and fauna.

The present work was one of twenty-two full-page illustrations which King produced for the French romance The High History of the Holy Grail, an English translation of a thirteenth-century romance tale.