Since the mid-1970s, human skulls have been a feature of the mixed-media sculptures made by Toronto-based artist Tim Whiten (b.1941). Whiten’s work addresses the nature of myth, spirituality, and transcendence. In Siege Perilous the armrests of a white wooden throne are adorned with human skulls—representing the link between the human and the divine. The work’s title is a reference to the name of the empty seat at King Arthur’s Round Table, reserved for the knight destined to find the Holy Grail. Since 1962, Whiten has exhibited his art throughout North America and internationally, and it is in numerous private and public collections, including those of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.