Made by an unknown artist c.1220-1250. From Burgundy, France.
Ely has the only stained glass museum in Britain, located in the cathedral, with a comprehensive display, fuller than that in the V&A, who show only part of their collection. If you drive to Ely on market day (Thursdays 8.30 – 3.30), my advice to you is to arrive early, as all the carparks are full by ten, otherwise you’ll have to go a mile out of town to the country park, though there’s a pleasant walk back to the cathedral along the Great Ouse. Ely is a compact market town with a full range of shops, plus a few supermarkets, an enormous bric-a-brac emporium and a dismayingly large quantity of charity shops. The museum displays glass from 1200 to the present with a good narrative explaining its technical and artistic development. Here are a few that I liked.
Mary Magdalene and a holy woman visiting the tomb of Christ, by George Hedgeland, 1856. Hedgeland designed the large west window of Norwich Cathedral. His career was cut short by ill-health.
Henry Holiday, ‘Suffer the Little Children’, 1907. Holiday was a prolific stained-glass artist. He was associated with William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites early in his career and worked many years for James Powell and Sons.
Francis Spear, ‘Eve’, 1958, a replica of part of his ‘Creation’ in Glasgow Cathedral. Spear was required to make many changes to his design, and even this final image was controversial because of its depiction of nudity. (Eve in situ here.)
Moira Forsyth, Arms of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, 1973. The panel is made from applique glass, a collage of pieces stuck one over the other.
‘St Adelaide’, by Kehinde Wiley, 2017, one of his series of stained glass panels with portraits of young black residents of Brooklyn, New York. Inspired by a stained glass designed by Ingres and manufactured in the Czech Republic.
MARSHALL COLMAN 