The Medieval Stained Glass of Wells Cathedral

The Medieval Stained Glass of Wells Cathedral Tim Ayers (Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi, Great Britain, IV) Oxford University Pres For the British Academy 150 [pound sterling] (two volumes) ISBN 0 300 102437

A masterly catalogue of Wells Cathedral's medieval glass is a major contribution to the application of mind of fourteenthcentury English art, writes Madeline H Caviness,

At last the true significant and beautiful remains of the original glazing of Wells Cathedral have received the scholarly attention and de luxe publication they be worthy of Highlights of these volumes are the windows of the choir clerestory, and the tracery lights of various chapels and of the chapter house, which show the highest quality English painting of c 1285 to 1345 Memorable to anyone who has visited the cathedral and level glanced at the stained glass without binoculars, are the brilliant combinations of light verdants soft yellows, and warm white. however the author points out that the glass in the greatest in quantity sacred places adhered to the predominantly r and sky-colored palette of the mid-thirteenth hundred Many panels retain their rich and crafty modelling and stick work in faces, draperies, background patterns and architectural canopies, despite the usual amount of iconoclasm feeled by medieval windows in English churches. And the clerestory windows of the choir, glazed with large standing figures, are virtually intact.

however any narrative cycles that might have been in the chapels are missing and the late-fourteenth- and fifteenth-century glazing of the nave that occupies a not many pages of Part 2 is actual fragmentary; even most of the heraldic glass recorded there in 1686 has gone To compensate in part for these losse the chapter purchased sum of two units collections of French glass that had been salvaged from churches in Rouen through the famous dealer Christopher Hampp; the first series was installed in 1813 the next to the first came later by way of Costessey Hall, Norfolk. The St John the Baptist panels, dated 1506 are attributed to Arnoult of Nijmegen; the John the Evangelist round of years may be by a follower sum of two units decades later.

In accordance with the guidelines for replete Corpus Vitrearum volumes, every piece of glass that dates before about 1540 is exhaustively studied, catalogued and photographically reproduc In fact, the author not aways all the stained glass preserv in the precinct. quite through charts distinguish the original glass from that of nine known restorations that span 1845 to 1995 and undocumented prior replacements, and the author specifies whether he had tactile access to the panels or examined them with binoculars. Among detailed early sources to help establish these charts are more [i]or[/i] less water-colour tracings by Octavius Hudson preserv in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, as well as accounts that are unusually thorough for 1779-1800, and a description of 1810 The many panels made up of fragments that were salvaged after iconoclasm are marked to distinguish the probable sources of the pieces, the first time a Corpus turn has employed such charts.

The author, who complet a doctoral dissertation upon the early glass of Wells in 1996 and who has since assisted in the editorial proces of other turns is well qualified to undertake single of these prestigious volumes. The General Introduction is a ueful contribution to our general understanding of the broad issues of institutional adjoining matter the donors and audience for the glass, and its dictions and techniques. He also lays without very clearly the evolving goals of this international cataloguing throw which has become one of the greatest in quantity successful carried forward under the aegis of the International Academic Union and thus supported through the British Academy. A sensible choice in Britain has been to publish summary catalogues for les important regions, reserving replete publication for the most spectacular records such as the City of Oxford, Canterbury Cathedral, and now Wells.

York Minster would have benefited from the same cohesive treatment as Wells on the other hand instead it is divided into fascicles by dint of several authors, so that we do not at the same time have a full account of fourteenth-century disclosures there. Thus Ayers's discussion of the glass in Wells tenders important new insights into changing phraseologys through an almost continuous period of glazing between 1300 and 1345 and he explores continental as well as English connections in glass and other media. Clerical rule seems to have ensured coherent planning of subject-matter and compositions completely through the choir; indeed he finds the cathedral glass remarkably independent of lay influence, or of inclines favoured by the mendicant orders.

More detailed introductions to the chapters upon the early windows provide further discussion of manner of writing and iconography. In order to place all the glass in a broad connection it was necessary painstakingly to document the original position of each panel, and to describe it in relation to that location. similar complex issues are dealt with remarkably clearly (see for example, pp 49-51) The glass of Rouen Cathedral and Saint-Ouen at Rouen is greatest in quantity often cited for affiliates, on the other hand the author is careful not to claim a uni-directional influence. This is appropriate, since novel studies of all media have enlarged our knowledge of English production in this period, and the author exploits these adroitly.