Joshua Price, The Nativity window (1719-21), Church of St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley, Worcester.

Photo: Peter Hildebrand

Joshua Price, The Baptism of Christ window (1719-21), Church of St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley, Worcester.

Photo: Peter Hildebrand

Church of St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley, Worcestershire

Address

Church of St Michael and All Angels, Great Witley, Worcester, WR6 6JT

Recommended by

Peter Hildebrand (20)

Highlight

Complete scheme

Artist, maker and date

Made by Joshua Price after designs by an Italian artists, thought to be Francesco Sleter, 1719-21

Reason for highlighting

When consecrated in 1735 the church had a simple interior, but it was transformed by the 2nd Lord Foley in 1747 into the most stunning Baroque interior of any English church. Central to this was the acquisition of 10 windows originally ordered for the Duke of Chandos’ stately home at Canons. Nine windows follow the life of Christ, while the tenth is of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. All were principally created using enamel paint in a style more usually associated with easel painting and are some of the best examples of this type of work in England.

Artist/maker notes

Joshua Price (bap. 1672, d. 1722), was the son of the glass painter, William Price, with whom he worked. He is known to have worked in the chapel of Queen’s College, Oxford, both resetting 16th century glass and painting a new window, and at St Andrew’s, Holborn.

One of his most important works was a scheme of 12 windows (1719-21) for the chapel of Canons, the 1st Duke of Chandos’s house at Stanmore. Ten of these windows moved to Great Witley along with the ceiling paintings. Of the remaining two, one is lost, while the last is at St Andrew by the Wardrobe, London

His last work was the rose window (1721–2) in the north transept of Westminster Abbey.

Source: William Price the Elder by Michael Archer (2004) – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Highlighted dates at this location

1719-21 (Go to date search)

All artists mentioned at this location

Price, Joshua