In the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English Colleges
In the 1380s and 1390s, extensive and exceptionally fine glazing schemes were installed in the chapels of New College, Oxford and Winchester College, the two educational foundations of William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester and one of the most influential figures of later fourteenth-century Englan...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Yale University
2017-06-01
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| Series: | British Art Studies |
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| Online Access: | http://britishartstudies.ac.uk/issues/issue-index/issue-6/william-wykeham |
| _version_ | 1811227742797037568 |
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| author | Veronika Decker |
| author_facet | Veronika Decker |
| author_sort | Veronika Decker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the 1380s and 1390s, extensive and exceptionally fine glazing schemes were installed in the chapels of New College, Oxford and Winchester College, the two educational foundations of William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester and one of the most influential figures of later fourteenth-century England. This article studies a central iconographic feature of the stained glass programmes: the multifigured image of the Tree of Jesse that filled the large seven-light east window of Winchester College Chapel and the great west window of New College Chapel. It highlights close correspondences between medieval metaphors of learning and education at the university, such as the notion of the college as a nourishing mother and as a fertile vineyard, and key elements of the Tree of Jesse. This essay argues that the stained glass decoration of the chapels thus conveyed multiple layers of meaning linked to the colleges’ educational purpose and to the pious motivations of their founder. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:46:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9ba9b0e792494331ba8d166219e5fb4a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2058-5462 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:46:48Z |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | Yale University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | British Art Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-9ba9b0e792494331ba8d166219e5fb4a2022-12-22T03:37:56ZengYale UniversityBritish Art Studies2058-54622017-06-01610.17658/issn.2058-5462/issue-06/vdeckerIn the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English CollegesVeronika Decker0Austrian Academy of SciencesIn the 1380s and 1390s, extensive and exceptionally fine glazing schemes were installed in the chapels of New College, Oxford and Winchester College, the two educational foundations of William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester and one of the most influential figures of later fourteenth-century England. This article studies a central iconographic feature of the stained glass programmes: the multifigured image of the Tree of Jesse that filled the large seven-light east window of Winchester College Chapel and the great west window of New College Chapel. It highlights close correspondences between medieval metaphors of learning and education at the university, such as the notion of the college as a nourishing mother and as a fertile vineyard, and key elements of the Tree of Jesse. This essay argues that the stained glass decoration of the chapels thus conveyed multiple layers of meaning linked to the colleges’ educational purpose and to the pious motivations of their founder.http://britishartstudies.ac.uk/issues/issue-index/issue-6/william-wykehamWilliam of Wykehamstained glasschurch decorationcathedral decorationmedieval artmedieval architecture |
| spellingShingle | Veronika Decker In the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English Colleges British Art Studies William of Wykeham stained glass church decoration cathedral decoration medieval art medieval architecture |
| title | In the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English Colleges |
| title_full | In the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English Colleges |
| title_fullStr | In the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English Colleges |
| title_full_unstemmed | In the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English Colleges |
| title_short | In the Vineyard of the Lord: Art, Imagination, and the Stained Glass Commissions of William of Wykeham in Fourteenth-Century English Colleges |
| title_sort | in the vineyard of the lord art imagination and the stained glass commissions of william of wykeham in fourteenth century english colleges |
| topic | William of Wykeham stained glass church decoration cathedral decoration medieval art medieval architecture |
| url | http://britishartstudies.ac.uk/issues/issue-index/issue-6/william-wykeham |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT veronikadecker inthevineyardofthelordartimaginationandthestainedglasscommissionsofwilliamofwykehaminfourteenthcenturyenglishcolleges |