A5201

Wedding Flowers

King Arthur and Gwenevere

Collins Cover Announcement 

Love

Knights of the Round Table

Romantic Couples Series

This fascinating tale in the history of England has now been pretty much accepted as mainly folklore and literary invention. King Arthur was a legendary leader who defended Britain from Saxon invaders in the Sixth Century. His queen was the lovely Gwenevere, and this mythical couple is shown on my "Yes I Do" cover as Arthur takes her hand in marriage.

During the early writings, the wizard Merlin and the sword Excalibur were important components. It was not until the 12th Century that the Knights of the Round Table and the Holy Grail were added to the King Arthur lore. One of the bravest knights was Sir Lancelot, and he attracted the attention of Gwenevere. In the "Where Dreams Blossom" cachet, the fair queen rides her royal steed in front of the castle and shares a private moment with the handsome Lancelot.

In the 19th Century, authors such as Wordsworth and Tennyson reignited public interest in the King Arthur legend. In 1859 Tennyson published Idylls of the King, and it sold 10,000 copies in one week. In it, Arthur became a symbol of ideal manhood attempting to establish a perfect kingdom. His experiment ultimately failed due to human weakness.

More receatly, in this fanzasy period has soared from many different types of entertainment media. Novels such as 1958's The Once and Future King and 1982's The Mists of Avalon as well as the comic strip Prince Valiant used the printed page. On stage, 1960's Broadway musical Camelot concentrated on the love of Gwenevere and Sir Lancelot. And on film, movies such as The Sword in the Stone, King Arthur, and Excalibur were all hits. And, from the actual land of the Knights of the Round Table, television was represented by the 2008 BBC series Merlin.

Now I am pleased that this popular legend will be philatelically represented by my individually hand painted cachets. Done in lovely watercolors I am very pleased to add two more covers to my "Romantic Couples" series. From the land of Camelot, it is the lovely Gwenevere and the heroic knight Sir Lancelot. From the kingdom of the Round Table, the Sword Excalibur and the magician Merlin, it is King Arthur and his queen Gwenevere. "Where Dreams Blossom" — Collins # Z5101 at $14.00. "Yes I Do" — Collins #A5201 at $14.50.