Leifur Breidfjord, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee window (2012), Southwark Cathedral.

Photo: Peter Hildebrand

Southwark Cathedral, London SE1

Address

Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, London Bridge, London SE1 9DA

Theme

Anglican Cathedrals in England (43)

Comments by

Peter Hildebrand

Overview

Home to a wonderful collection of windows. Highlights include Sir Ninian Comper’s stunning east window of Christ in Majesty, 1950 and surprisingly intensely coloured from this artist, Henry Holiday’s equally fine west window of 1910, and a rare example outside the east coast of America of the work of the brilliant American artist John La Farge, 1910, in the Harvard Chapel.

Also of interest is a tribute to St Saviour’s most famous parishioner, William Shakespeare. Christopher Webb’s window of 1954 is a take on the idea of a tree of Jesse. Set above a 1911 memorial sculpture of Shakespeare by Henry McCarthy, Prospero in the central light forms the trunk, with Ariel above and Caliban at his feet. The various branches are then used to set further figures from the plays.

Highlight

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee window

Artist, maker and date

Leifur Breidfjord, 2012

Reason for highlighting

For a brilliant example of contemporary stained glass go to the south wall of the retro-choir and look at the window commissioned in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by Leifur Breidfjord. Entitled ‘From Heaven to Earth’ it is a colourful creation that absolutely achieves the artist’s desire to ‘inspire joy and optimism’. A striking, deceptively simple window which is attractive and very easy to like.

Artist/maker notes

Leifur Breidfjord (b.1945) trained in stained glass at Reykjavik College of Arts and Crafts, and then at Edinburgh College of Art under the tutelage of Sax Shaw. He also had two periods at Burleighfield House England with Patrick Reyntiens in 1973 and 1975.

He has worked in his stained glass studio in Reykjavik since 1968 where he has done most of his works. Some of the larger stained glass works are done in stained glass studios in Germany. He has exhibited paintings, watercolours, pastels and sculptures as well as stained glass during those years. He is married to textile artist Sigridur Johannsdottir.

Source: Leifur Breidfjord website

Highlighted dates at this location

2012 (Go to date search)