the Barenboim-Said Akademie. the court of Camelot

 This week, a new portrait of Daniel Barenboim was unveiled in the hall of Berlin’s House of Representatives. The portrait was commissioned after Barenboim was named a Berlin Citizen of Honor last April by Mayor Franziska Giffey. The award honors Barenboim’s 30 years as General Music Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, as well as his role in the creation of the Barenboim-Said Akademie and West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

🏰 Noble King Arthur, Brave Sir Lancelot, the beautiful Guinevere and the gentle Sir Gawain – how many heroes from the legendary court of Camelot can you name?

⚔️ Medieval Knights were eager to prove their descent from these Arthurian characters, and carried tokens to symbolise their heroes. This opulent livery badge from the 1400s may have been worn to link its owner with the mysterious ‘Knight of the Swan’.

🦢 According to legend, the Knight of the Swan appeared in a swan-pulled boat to rescue a damsel in distress. The two marry on the condition that she never ask the Knight his origin. One fateful day the noblewoman forgets her promise, and so the Knight vanishes never to return. 

👑 It was probably worn by a wealthy supporter of the De Bohun family – who used the swan as their heraldic badge – or King Henry IV, who adopted it when he married Mary de Bohun in 1380.

🏛 Learn about life in medieval Europe in the Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery: http://ow.ly/pPfr30pZxW7

🔎 The Dunstable Swan Jewel. Gold and enamel, from England or France, around 1400. Read more: https://ow.ly/qfkO50PIG7s