Reviewed by Gemma Lees, University of York
David King, the foremost expert on the medieval stained glass of Norfolk, has synthesised his life’s work into a succinct guide that has equal appeal as an introduction for newcomers and as a general reference book for those more familiar with stained glass. The guide explores the social, economic and religious stories interwoven in the glass through a consideration of general trends concerning patronage, subject matter and stylistic developments; teasing at the quality and breadth of King’s unpublished research that will begin to appear in print before too long in the multi-volume Norfolk Summary Catalogue of the Corpus Vitrearum (Great Britain). Due to the focus of the guide, the stained glass covered is largely centred on Norfolk-made glass within churches, yet the collection of glass within civic and domestic contexts, and the substantial amount of continental glass imported during the early nineteenth century are also discussed. This scholarship is combined with over 200 full-colour images by Paul Harley which illustrate almost every page. Harley provides photographs that capture some of the windows in full, yet, there is a preference for displaying small details, removing the need for a step ladder to appreciate them.
Therefore, King and Harley’s collaboration is an exciting contribution to making the rich history and extant collection of the UK’s collection of medieval stained glass accessible and enjoyable by providing an informative and colourful guide. More specifically, the structure and display of the content in this guide particularly lend itself to use as a reference book, yet the beautiful illustrations that fill most pages also facilitate its use for recreational reading.
The reader begins their journey of Norfolk’s medieval stained glass with a beautifully illustrated county map, annotated with minimalistic drawings of each location. This map not only allows those unfamiliar with Norfolk to understand the geographical context of each location but it also facilitates an appreciation for how some stories traverse this space. For instance, the medieval glass within Wighton in the north and East Harling in the south, despite the geographical distance, are both attributed to the Wighton Workshop and show the development of the workshop’s reach over time (p.10).
Following this, a preface by Harley sets the tone of the guide as one that hopes to marvel the reader with these often-overlooked medieval treasures and encourage them to go beyond the pages of this guide to enjoy first-hand their beautiful craftsmanship and history. To encourage such appreciation, King’s introduction provides context for the form and current state of Norfolk’s medieval glass alongside a framework for investigating the stories within the glass. This is successfully organised under subheadings which inform the reader of general trends concerning style, patronage and subject. By providing this, the guide prepares the reader with enough information to appreciate the glass presented later in the guide within its medieval and current context.
Within the introduction, King utilises the case study of the Lady Chapel window at East Haring, the cover’s subject (Fig. 1), to illustrate the complexity of these stories and the difficulty in revealing them; often due to the extent of loss. More specifically, King sets out how the subject of the window – the Life of the Virgin Mary – and the particular narrative scenes chosen are suggestive of the personal and political sentiments of Anne Harling, the donor, relating to her child-bearing anxieties and Yorkist affiliation (pp.13-14). King utilises this example within the introduction as, despite its reorganisation and relocation to the east window of the church, it is one of the most complete medieval windows in Norfolk. Therefore it is an example that readers with less experience of dealing with fragmented windows will find more accessible. Yet, it is also an inspiring exemplar of the complex narratives within Norfolk’s medieval glass that can be explored once one has worked past the extent of loss and reorganisation.
Following King’s introduction, the rest of the guide consists of alphabetically organised entries for over 60 locations which contain medieval stained glass. For each entry, usually spanning at least a page, photos and information on the medieval glass, pertaining to the subheadings set out in the introduction, are presented. This commonly includes an approximate date, the subject matter of the window, probable donors, and a discussion of the relevance of the subject matter to its production context. The guide culminates with a substantial bibliography and further reading list which are composed of seminal texts familiar to those who have researched Norfolk’s medieval glass before. This in combination with the glossary at the end of the guide provides a helpful starting point for further study for newcomers.
In short, either as an introduction to Norfolk’s medieval glass or as a general reference book, this is a guide that can be carried with you on a trip to the locations, or used within the comfort of your own home, to appreciate the beauty and history of the stories in Norfolk’s medieval glass.
Vidimus readers may order the book with the benefit of a 15% discount by using the code VIDIMUS15, valid up to 30 September 2024. To place your order, go to https://www.lutterworth.com/product/stories-in-glass-a-guide-to-medieval-stained-glass-in-norfolk/