King's Chapel of the Savoy, London WC2
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The King's Chapel of the Savoy, Savoy Hill, London WC2R 0DARecommended by
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HM Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee WindowArtist, maker and date
Douglas Hogg , 2012Reason for highlighting
The exuberant and celebratory design for the widow embraces the themes of Continuity and Development, Heritage and Inheritance. Symbols in the design include references not only to Her Majesty and her life of service since 1952, but also to the wider Royal family, who have worked together in developing and recognising the aspirations and achievements of successive generations.
The innovative approach to design uses both traditional leadwork and fused glass; lenses represent the pearls given to the young Elizabeth by her grandfather George V.
The upper parts of the window respond to the blue painted Chapel ceiling, where the glass alludes to ‘The Heavens’ in 17th Century Elizabethan Theatre. Visual links refer to the tremendous advances in Science and the Arts which have taken place during both reigns.
The circle of optically perfect lenses and dichroic glass defining the crown below, together with scattered pieces of dichroic glass are visible from outside the Chapel during the day. This means that passers-by can engage in a dynamic way with the exterior of both the window and the building.
To aid external legibility the protective glazing uses imported Amiran® anti-reflective glass by Schott (Germany), which was not available in the UK at the time.
Artist/maker notes
Douglas Hogg DA (Edin) FMGP FSA (Scot) (b.1948) studied Stained Glass with Drawing and Painting at the Edinburgh College of Art 1966-1972, becoming head of the Stained and Architectural Glass degree course there from 1979-2000.
Solo exhibitions include Past and Present Futures at Glasmalerei Peters Gallery, Paderborn, Germany and Non-Commissioned Offerings at the Cochrane Gallery, London. Invited group shows include Glass, Light and Space at the British Crafts Council Gallery, London, and Lumière du Monde, currently showing at the Galerie du Vitrail, Chartres, France, a touring European collection.
Commissioned works include a Staircase Wall Installation at the Edinburgh City Chambers and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Window at the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy in Central London 2012. He was installed as a Freeman of the City of London in 2007 and in 2016 was given recognition by the Radcliffe Trust for his contribution to Glass in Architecture.
For further information see Douglas Hogg – the colours of Light
Other comments
The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy is the Chapel of the Royal Victorian Order.
A charitable Hospital of the Savoy was completed on the site by 1515. This was dissolved in 1702, and then had a chequered existence until 1820, when the Chapel was reconstructed by Sir Robert Smirke. The chapel was gutted by fire in 1864 and subsequently rebuilt. In 1937, by command of King George VI, the chapel was declared the Chapel of the Royal Victorian Order.
Although all the Chapel windows were originally filled with stained glass, the present stained glass is almost all 20th Century, the consequences of a bomb blast in 1940.