Church of St Matthew, Rushall, Wiltshire
Address
Church of St Matthew, Church Lane, Rushall, Wiltshire SN9 6EHRecommended by
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Four seasons windows in the north naveArtist, maker and date
Designed by A E Buss for Goddard & Gibbs, 1979Reason for highlighting
It is very traditional in style and technique, yet one of the most skilful designs I’ve seen. The Subject is the Four Seasons with four main cameo scenes, one for each season. The design shows a farmer working in each scene doing seasonal activities, but it is also teeming with an abundance of animals and birds; the detailed flora and fauna are brilliantly woven into a background of diamond quarries. Some leadlines are painted into the background pattern, but it is so cleverly done with much miniature etched and painted details.
On display, framed alongside is a) the design and b) a diagram showing all the listed creatures in the window.
Artist/maker notes
Arthur Edward Buss (1905-99) trained at Camberwell School of Art, before working for one of his tutors, William Aikman. He set up his own studio in 1937, before joining Goddard & Gibbs after the war.
Goddard & Gibbs
Founded in 1868, the firm became a leader in the production and restoration of stained glass windows, aided by excellent designers such as John Lawson and his predecessor, Arthur Edward Bliss.
Source: Stained Glass Marks and Monograms by Joyce Little (London: National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies, 2002)