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Fig. 1 The Medieval Stained Glass of Lancashire.
Fig. 2. The Medieval Stained Glass of Wells Cathedral
Fig. 3. The Medieval Stained Glass of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich
To celebrate the publication of Penny Hebgin-Barnes’s superb study of The Medieval Stained Glass of Lancashire, we are delighted to announce that Vidimus readers will be able to purchase this latest CVMA volume at an unrepeatable 40% discount. [Fig. 1]
Welcoming the book the CVMA (GB) Chairman, Sarah Brown, told us:
‘This is an outstanding book by an exceptional scholar. Somehow Penny has managed not just to balance the demands of a busy career and a young family, but also to sleuth out innumerable previously unknown treasures in Lancashire, including an astonishing collection of medieval stained glass in a major museum. We all owe her an enormous debt.’
To find out more about this book don’t miss our in-depth interview with Penny in this month’s Features section.
As part of the launch for Penny’s new book, we are also pleased to announce that we have negotiated similar massive discounts for two other recently-published books: Tim Ayres’ magisterial two-volume study of the glass at Well Cathedral and David King’s groundbreaking book on the stained glass of St Peter Mancroft church in Norwich.
St Oswald’s Church, Malpas (Cheshire): Window Restored
Fig. 1. Restoration diagram. © Jonathan and Ruth Cooke.
Fig. 2. ‘The Mocking of Christ’ restored. © Jonathan and Ruth Cooke
Almost a year to the month since Vidimus described the vandalism of a 17th-century oval panel at St Oswald’s church, Malpas, we are delighted to report that the glass has now been repaired and restored by the Yorkshire-based conservators, Jonathan and Ruth Cooke. The work involved cleaning the surface of microbial infestation, painting new inserts where the glass had been shattered and removing the lead lines of previous repairs. The panel is now reinstated in the church within a protective glazing system. Figures 1 and 2 show, respectively, a diagram of the damage charting the breaks and a photograph of the restored panel.
For the earlier story see Vidimus 19. To see other images from Malpas see the CVMA website. For further information about the Malpas glass, see William Cole’s Catalogue of Netherlandish and North European Roundels in Britain, CVMA Great Britain, Summary Catalogue 1, 1983, pp. 141–46.
Stained Glass Exhibition Opens in Hungate Medieval Art Centre
The Hungate Medieval Art Centre project in Norwich has featured in a number of our recent issues see Vidimus 23, 24, 27 and 28. Following its successful launch last month the Centre is now open to visitors. Its first exhibition focuses on stained glass. Exhibition curator Claire Daunton writes exclusively for Vidimus about the exhibition’s theme and purpose. [Fig.1]
Fig. 1. The stained glass exhibition. © Mike Dixon.
As the first in what is hoped will be a rolling programme, the inaugural exhibition concentrates on how stained glass was made and used in the late middle ages in Norwich and elsewhere in Norfolk. Changes in style and technique from the mid-13th to the mid-16th centuries are illustrated with examples from throughout Norfolk. The techniques of glaziers and the organisation of the craft are described with reference to the work of individual glaziers working in medieval Norwich and elsewhere in the county, including those influenced by Flemish and Rhenish style of the early 16th century. The exhibition relies on high quality photographs, taken by local resident Mike Dixon, to illustrate a wide-ranging text. The material is greatly enhanced by being presented in the church of St Peter Hungate where medieval glass of the 15th and 16th centuries remains in situ.
One of the principal aims of the project is to encourage visitors to explore the wealth of surviving medieval stained glass in the county, an exploration that will soon be facilitated by a series of printed ‘trails’ compiled by CVMA author, David King, which will link the content of the exhibition to parish churches across Norfolk.
Of course, viewing high-quality photographic reproductions of stained glass at eye level in a refurbished church in the heart of urban Norwich is a wholly different experience from going out into rural Norfolk, opening the door into a silent church and seeking out medieval stained glass with a leaflet in one hand and a pair of binoculars in another. However, the two should not be mutually exclusive.
Fig. 3. Old Testament king, Stody. © Mike Dixon.
Fig . 2. St John the Baptist, Ringland. © Mike Dixon.
Take, for example, two of the photographs in the exhibition: a full length figure of St John the Baptist from the north clerestory (NIV) of the church of St Peter, Ringland and its adjoining image of an Old Testament king from the tracery lights of the north aisle (nVI) at the church of St Mary, Stody. [Figs. 2 and 3]
Seeing the photographs side by side one can compare the modelling of the heads and facial expressions, the use of white glass and brush work to emphasise physical features; how attention is drawn to the richness of the clothing in these two figures. The viewer is also able to recognise the elegance and lightness of touch in the figure of the king and to note that, although there are similarities, these qualities are not so marked in the figure of St John the Baptist. The Old Testament king at Stody is, in fact, of a slightly earlier date (probably 1440s) than the image at Ringland (1460s).
As David King has shown, the installation of the 15th-century glazing scheme at Stody was almost certainly carried out under the auspices of members and relatives of the Braunch family, Norfolk gentry. The figure of the king which appears in the exhibition is one of a series of Old Testament kings and prophets which remain on the north side of the church, each one with a different facial expression. There is a similar series of Virgin Martyrs in the tracery lights of the south transept.
The figure of St John the Baptist from Ringland is part of a sequence of clerestory figures installed in the period 1460–70. These include: images of the Trinity, the Virgin and Child and the Annunciation. Another image of the Virgin and Child is now in St Luke’s chapel, Norwich Cathedral. Architectural and testamentary evidence suggests that a major renovation took place from the second half of the 15th century and that this work followed closely that at the neighbouring parish of Taverham, where the church was rebuilt in the mid-15th century following a fire. Documentary evidence also suggests that some donors were providing funds for both churches. At Ringland, however, a strong guild culture was probably responsible for the donations that provided the series of north clerestory windows. Some of the windows have partial inscriptions mentioning individual donors but it is likely that these were moved during the restoration of the mid-19th century. It is not possible to link inscriptions to donors.
In both figures one can see the rich clothing typical of Norwich glazing of the period. In the figure of St John, however, the bulk of the outer clothing dwarfs some features, almost hiding one of the saint’s most significant attributes, his camel-hair garment. One strains to see the head of the camel beneath his feet! Raising the visitor’s awareness of such details is one of the strengths of the exhibition. A visit to the churches at Ringland and Stody will take on a different complexion after a visit to the exhibition.
The Hungate Centre has chosen to open with a programme of exhibitions on stained glass, but the trustees recognise that figurative glass was just one element in the decoration of churches in the late medieval period. Stained glass should be viewed and understood in the context of the church as a whole. At Ringland, for example, stone corbels carved with angels support the roof and most of the painted figures of the rood screen survive. The longer-term aim of the project is to have exhibitions and county trails that inform visitors of the breadth of medieval art in Norfolk and of the relationship between the art of Norfolk and that of other parts of England and the near continent.
Note: More glass from Ringland and Stody may be found on the CVMA web site. See: Ringland and Stody (glass). See the Hungate Medieval Art Centre website, for information about opening times.
Obituary: Anne Paillard Prache
Fig. 1. Anne Paillard Prache
We are extremely sad to report the death of Dr Anne Paillard Prache, Professor emeritas of Medieval Art at l’ Université de Paris-IV-Sorbonne. [Fig.1]
Although best known for her work on French medieval architecture and sculpture, Professor Prache served as Director of the French CVMA from 1980–1997 and as a Vice-President of the International CVMA between 1987 and 1995. Her distinguished leadership and contribution to stained glass studies will never be forgotten. In 2000 a book was published in her honour: Pierre, lumière, couleur. Etudes d’histoire de l’art du Moyen-Âge en l’honneur d’Anne Prache,edited by Fabienne Joubert and Dany Sandron.
Our sympathies are extended to her family, friends and colleagues.
(Anne Paillard Prache, 1/3/1931–3/5/2009)
Stained Glass publications by Anne Paillard Prache
Directions et Prefaces
- Les vitraux du Centre et des Pays de la Loire. Recensement des vitraux anciens de la France, vol.II, Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inventaire Général des monuments et richesses artistiques de la France 1981, direction avec la collaboration de Louis Grodecki, Jean Taralon, Francoise Perrot, Nicole Blondel
- Les vitraux de Bourgogne, Franche-comté et Rhône-Alpes. Recensement des vitraux anciens de la France, vol. III, Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inventaire Général des monuments et richesses artistiques de la France, 1986, direction avec la collaboration de Jean Taralon, Nicole Blondel, avant-propos, pp. 5–6
- Les vitraux de Champagne-Ardenne. Recensement des vitraux anciens de la France, vol. IV, Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inventaire Général des monuments et richesses artistiques de la France, 1992, direction avec la collaboration de Nicole Blondel, avant-propos, pp. 5–6
- Vitraux parisiens de la Renaissance, Guy-Michael Leproux (dir.), Paris, 1993, avant-propos, p. 31. Colette Mahnes-Deremble avec la collaboration de Jean-Paul Deremble, L’Iconographie des verrières narratives de la cathédrale de Chartres, Paris, 1993, preface, p. 3
- Les vitraux de Lorraine et d’Alsace. Recensement des vitraux anciens de la France, vol.V, par Francoise Gatouillat et Michel Herold, Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inventaire Général des monuments et richesses artistiques de la France, 1994, direction avec la collaboration de Nicole Blondel et Claude Mignot, avant-propos, pp. 5–6
- L. Grodecki, Études sur les vitraux de Suger à Saint-denis (XIIe siècle), t.II, Paris, Corpus Vitrearum (Études III), Paris, Presses de l’Université de Paris-Sorbonne, 1995, preface, p. 7
Articles
- ‘Le vitrail de la Crucifixion de Saint-Remi de Reims’ dans Études d’art médiéval offertes à Louis Grodecki, Paris, 1981, pp. 145–154
- ‘Architecture rayonnante et vitrail dans la France du Nord vers 1300’, in Europäische Kunst um 1300 (Actes du 25e Congrès international d’histoire de l’art, Vienne, 4–10 septembre 1983, t.6, 6e section), Vienne, Cologne, Graz, 1986, pp. 25–30
- ‘Le theme de la lumière au XIIe siècle dans les oeuvres d’art’, in Bien dire et bien apprendre, Revue de médiévistique, t.6, 1988, pp. 131–135
- ‘Le quinzième colloque international du Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi’, in Vitrea, no. 4, 1989, pp. 54–56
- ‘Les Vitraux du XIIe siècle’, in Le Trésor de saint-Denis, Les dossiers d’ Archéologie, no. 158, mars 1991, pp. 64–75
- ‘Architecture gothique et vitrail’, in Glas, Malerei, Forschung, Internationalen Studien zu ehren von Rüdiger Becksmann, by Scholz H., Rauch I., Hess D. eds., Deutscher Verlag für Kunstwissenschaft, Berlin, 2004, pp. 35–39
- ‘Stained glass and architecture at Saint-Remi of Reims and at Braine: distinct or complementary disciplines?’, in The Four Modes of Seeing, Approaches to Medieval Imagery in Honor of Madeline Harrison Caviness, by E. Staudinger Lane E., Carson Pastan E., Schortell E. M. eds, Ashgate, Farnham, 2009, pp. 151–156
Note
We are very grateful to Claudine Lautier and Karine Boulanger for their help with this item. Acknowledgements are also extended to Fabienne Joubert and Dany Sandron.
Name that Roundel!
Fig. 1. Name that roundel!
This month’s puzzle comes from a private collection in Flanders. It has been dated to around 1535 and is thought to have been painted by a Leiden (Leyden)-based workshop, associated with the circle of the artist known as the Monogrammist DC or PC. The panel consists of green tinted glass with dark vitreous paint on the interior side, and silver stain and translucent sanguine applied on the exterior side. It shows a crowded street scene below a great city. A central haloed figure approaches a woman who may be introducing a young man who, in turn, touches the shoulder of another. Other figures help to form an enclosed group.
What story does it depict?
Roundels of this period depicted a range of subjects, including stories from the Old and New Testaments, the Lives of saints, and tales from ancient history and classical literature, such as Homer’s Odyssey. The solution to this month’s puzzle is contributed by Dr Paul Taylor of the Warburg Institute in London. His explanation can be found at the foot of the Books section.
So go ahead.. name that roundel!
If any reader has any other suggestions as to the subject depicted in this, or any of the other paintings featured in this series, please write to: news@vidimus.org.
Glass Links!
This month we include links to three more interesting websites
- Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi Austria: The CVMA Austria has a well-illustrated website and extensive texts (in German only). The Galerie is full of stunning photographs.
- Chartres Cathedral: Professor Alison Stones of Pittsburgh University, USA, has created a website about Chartres cathedral which contains numerous images of the stained glass. Other pluses include information about the cathedral’s architecture and sculpture. The site also includes an extensive bibliography.
- The Stained Glass of Bourges Cathedral: Stuart Whatling is researching narrative programmes in stained glass and has created an excellent site about the windows of Bourges cathedral, with nearly five hundred images.
New Opportunities For Training in Conservation (ICON)
The Institute of Conservation (ICON) is offering six full-time paid internships as part of a four-year scheme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and two other internships are offered with employers and funders. Many of these placements are aimed at new entrants to conservation from art, science, craft or wider heritage-related backgrounds. The internships are based in private and public sector conservation workshops across the UK, offering experience in the conservation of archives, metals, stone, textiles, stained glass and photographic materials. For more information about the internships, placements and details of eligibility see the ICON website – but hurry – the closing date is 1 June!
Offer for Sponsors of Vidimus
We are offering a signed copy of Penny Hebgin-Barnes newly published CVMA (GB) catalogue of The Medieval Stained Glass of Lancashire to any reader contributes £300 to sponsor an issue of Vidimus.
Diary
Until 24 May: The exhibition Medieval and Renaissance Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum, at The Millennium Gallery in Sheffield, includes panels of stained glass. For more details see: Vidimus 15 and the Millennium Gallery website.
Until 24 May: German and Central European Manuscript Illumination, at the Getty Center, Los Angeles. Some of the exhibited works may have influenced glass painters. For details of opening hours, and to download an illustrated checklist of the exhibits, see the Getty Center website.
12 June: Grand Designs: An exciting new exhibition of 19th- and 20th-century stained glass designs and sketches on display at the Stained Glass Museum Ely, open daily. The exhibits include designs by Ervin Bossanyi, J.T. Lyon and Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Entry to the exhibition is free.
Until 25 July: ‘Painting with Light’ exhibition at the Glencairn Museum (USA)
Until 2 August: Glass and Light, an important exhibition of stained glass from a private German collection at the Knauf-Museum, Iphofen, Germany. For more information see the Glass and Light exhibition website.
1–3 June: Forum for the Conservation and Restoration of Stained Glass Windows, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. For more information about this important event, see the Forum website.
19 June: Andrew Rudebeck will speak about the 15th-century glass painter, John Thornton, in ‘On the trail of John Thornton’, at the British Society of Master Glass Painters Summer Lecture; 6.30 for 7.00pm at The Art Workers Guild, Queen Square, London WC1 (Admission by ticket only). For booking details see the BSMGP website.
14 July: Emma Jane Wells (University of York) will speak about ‘Stained Glass in York Minster: Perceptions and Representations of Space’ at the Leeds International Medieval Congress 2009. For further details see the Leeds IMC website.
15 July: Rosie Mills of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, will speak about ‘Stained Glass Narrative Strategies in the Elaborate Tracery Forms of English Gothic Windows’ at the Leeds International Medieval Congress 2009. For further details see the Leeds IMC website.
17–19 July: The Annual Meeting of the American Glass Guild will be held the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Buffalo, New York. For more information about the AGG and the conference see the American Glass Guild website.
16–18 September: The 2009 annual conference of the Society of Glass Technology will be held at Lancaster University. The ‘History and Heritage’ sessions will take place on 18 September. Speakers will include Keith Barley on protective glazing schemes; CVMA Chairman, Sarah Brown, on the new MA Conservation of Stained Glass programme, at York University; and conservator Ruth Cooke describing a case study of the conservation of a 15th-century stained glass window from the Savile Chapel, St Michael and All Angels, Thornhill (Yorkshire). For more information and updates see the Society of Glass Technology website.
16 October: The Icelandic stained glass artist, Leifur Breidfjord, will speak about his vision and work at The British Society of Master Glass Painters Winter Lecture; 6.30 for 7.00pm at The Art Workers Guild, Queen Square, London WC1 (Admission by ticket only). For booking details see the see the BSMGP website.
9 November: Glyn Davies of the Victoria and Albert Museum will speak about the stained glass in the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries at the V&A at a special Worshipful Company of Glaziers Lecture, The Glaziers Hall, 9 Montague Close, London Bridge, London SE1 9DD. Admission is £5. For more information contact: info@worshipfulglaziers.com.
