Edwin Austin Abbey (April 1, 1852 - August 1, 1911) was an American artist, illustrator, and painter. His most famous work, The Quest of the Holy Grail, resides in the Boston Public Library. Though born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he moved to England in 1878. The aforementioned work was finished in 1902 and is quintessential of his subject - historical (or pseudo-historical in this case). Another of his works marks the coronation of King Edward VII in the same year. It was the official painting of the occasion and, hence, resides at Buckingham Palace.
In 1908-1909, Abbey painted a number of murals and other artworks for the rotunda of the new Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His works in that building include allegorical medallions representing Science, Art, Justice, and Religion, as well as large murals underneath the Capitol dome.
His work is melodramatic to modern eyes - though he was also a political illustrator for the journal Harper's Weekly.
