Hands, hands, hands. I was surprised in preparing this post to discover that I have written about hands quite a bit over the years. Two posts that moved me most were from four years ago, Hands I and Hands II. Hands stood out again during a recent visit to the Boston Public Library, visiting yet again the room with the Abbey Murals. I’ve photographed the murals often but this time I tried to focus on the hands.
For those new to the murals, in the 1890s Edwin Austin Abbey began a series of 15 wall paintings depicting The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail (based on a version of the legend by Henry James). They were installed in 1895.
On the BPL website, you can read a description of the 15 panels and the story they depict. Given how many shy maidens must have their hands kissed by Sir Galahad …
… and how many babes, swords and various vessels must be borne aloft and so on …
… well, it’s clear why Abbey paid so much attention to the hands of his legendary figures.
Words + Images 
My favorite is the combined hands coming towards the red-coated back. I had never seen the drama of that little moment before.
Interesting post!
I love the nuns in white hoods holding the candles.