Crown of Love (NGV), Joseph Swain, 31 December 1859

Woodcut illustration for the poem (ballad) "the crown of love" by george meredith, in once a week magazine (which is a retelling of marie de france's lai "the two lovers"). A king demands that a suitor for his daughter's hand win her by carrying her to the top of a mountain. They die martyrs to love. Date: 31 December 1859.