Church of St Michael Cornhill, London EC3
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East window, Christ in MajestyArtist, maker and date
Clayton and Bell, 1859Reason for highlighting
The figure of Christ, with arms outstretched as if embracing the entire congregation, appears in this large, circular window surrounded by a myriad of musical angels and cherubs. An exquisite expression of colour and pattern all held within a wide decorative border of flowers and geometric ornament.
This window is part of an entire stained glass scheme considered to be some of the best surviving Victorian stained glass in the City of London. Created as part of the successful relationship between Clayton and Bell and George Gilbert Scott, the prolific Gothic Revival architect responsible for the renovation of the church in 1859.
Artist/maker notes
Clayton & Bell is one of the best known and most prolific studios of the Victorian Age. The original partners, John Richard Clayton (1827-1913) and Alfred Bell (1832-95), were encouraged into business by Sir George Gilbert Scott, who would go on to use the firm for numerous commissions, as did G E Street and J L Pearson.
While the output of the firm would become prodigious, it also affected the development of stained glass through the significant number of artists, who spent time with the firm, including Charles Eamer Kempe, John Burlison and Thomas Grylls, and Robert Turnill Bayne.
Source: Angels & Icons: Pre-Raphaelite Stained Glass 1850-1870 by William Waters (Seraphim Press Ltd 2012)
Other comments
An intense blue sky and intricate decorative border surround a powerful Christ on the Cross in the west window and a delightful tiny St Michael window is easy to miss high up in the vestibule of the church entrance.
Angels abound in this church with so many to enjoy.