" The Crown of Love " , 1875 By Artist John Everett Millais ( 1829 - 1896 ) | ArtLiveAndBeauty

" The Crown of Love " , By Artist John Everett Millais, 1875 

John Everett Millais (1829 - 1896) was a British artist who was a founding member of the revolutionary Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The Peak of Love was highly criticized when it was initially displayed to the public in 1875 at a Royal Academy exhibition. The artist's errors were pointed out to him. He was specifically criticized of making the feminine physique appear more like a mannequin.

This Painting depicts the poetry (ballad) "The Pinnacle of Love" by George Meredith, which was published in the British journal "Once a Week" in 1908. In turn, Meredith's ballad is a poetic version of Marie de France's narrative "The Lay of the Two Lovers".

Both works' plots revolve around the king of Normandy (a widower, haughty, and tyrannical) insisting on an unavoidable condition for his daughter's marriage. He asks that the pretender to her heart and hand carry the girl to the summit of a very tall mountain. At the same time, he can never let her go or take a vacation from her. Numerous knights from the kingdom attempt, but none succeed.
As the time comes, the king gathers his entire court in the valley to see the spectacle: cold-blooded knights place bets, sensitive women pray to heaven.

Simultaneously, one gorgeous courageous young guy has long been in love with the princess, and she returns his feelings. At the same time, he lacks physical power, thus the pair has no possibility of passing the proclaimed exam without resorting to deception. They do not, however, dare to flee the kingdom together for fear of upsetting the girl's father. As a result, the young man seeks a magical elixir that provides heroic power (similar to doping in current sports), while the girl fasts to lessen the weight of her beloved on the designated day.

Despite the fact that the young guy has the option to use cunning by swallowing the elixir he obtained, he refuses to do so in order to demonstrate the intensity of his affections to his sweetheart. As a result, he climbs the mountain with her in his arms, but he dies instantly - his heart could not endure the strain and burst. The girl dies of sadness after mourning the death of her beloved. Soon after, their bodies are discovered and buried together - as martyrs of love on the same mountain.

" The Crown of Love " , By Artist John Everett Millais, 1875 Canvas, oil. Size: 127.6 x 86.7 cm. Pérez Simon Collection, Mexico