England, 13th century and later

Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England, until circa 1920
with John Hunt, Dublin, Ireland, circa 1970
Thomas Flannery Jr., Chicago, USA
Sotheby's, London, The Thomas F. Flannery, Jr. Collection, 1 December 1983, lot 219

New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Year 1200, 1970, no. 22

K. Hoffman, The Year 1200, exh. cat., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New Haven and Yale, 1970, no. 22

The panel is composed of mostly medieval glass pieces and also later glass pieces, probably dating to the early 20th century. These pieces have been integrated into a revivalist composition again probably in the early 20th century. It is, however, our informed opinion that the majority of the medieval glass originates from Canterbury Cathedral and dates to around the 13th century. As explained above, some of the glass panels appear to be later. These include the lower red pieces forming the far left knight's breeches, some of the lighter blue glass excluding the boot and the upper portions of the shield. Some of the medieval panels are probably repainted and refired, including the panels with chainmail and the lower portion of the shield. There are a few restored breaks to some of the panels, including to the upper portions of the shield. There is surface corrosion to some of the panels, probably due to acid etching by later restorers which was intended to create the allusion of a medieval surface. There are dirt residues to the glass, in particular to the crevices. The leadwork almost certainly dates to the early 20th century. The light box is in good condition with minor wear. The electric socket has been PAT tested by Plowden and Smith Ltd. in February 2014.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present stained glass window is one of only two figurative fragments belonging to a group that was removed from the great medieval windows of Canterbury Cathedral in the 19th century, sold in the 1920s, and reunited at The Year 1200 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1970.

After a devastating fire in 1174, the choir, transept and numerous chapels of Canterbury Cathedral were rebuilt and redecorated according to the latest theological standards. The new architecture provided the perfect environment for stained glass in particular to reach its full potential as a meaningful and monumental art. When completed in the 1220s, Canterbury's programme of windows rivalled that of the great French Cathedrals. There were windows with cycles of the Life of Christ, Miracles of St. Thomas, St. Dunstan and St. Alphlege, a Jesse Tree, and twelve Theological Windows, among others. Each window contained a number of medallions with single scenes (see also Fogg Art Museum, inv. no. 1924.108) which were framed by glazing with decorative motifs (such as the remarkable fragment in the Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. no. C.2-1958). Few of the early windows survive intact in situ but further fragments have been reused in windows throughout the church.

As Caviness (op.cit., p. 194) points out, the style of Canterbury's glazing can be grouped with windows in Laon and Sens Cathedrals and is generally indebted to contemporary French manuscript illumination. The school of wall painting at Canterbury, meanwhile, contributed to the stained glass' distinct linear style that also characterises the present panel. The execution of the armour and weaponry, with conical helmets, and the curved and horizontal patterns on the chainmail and boots respectively, is equally present throughout Canterbury's glass from circa 1200. The loftiness and deep-set eyes of the knights are equally characteristic.

The soldiers represented here were thought to be onlookers from one of the scenes from the Life of St. Alphlege at the time of the New York exhibition (op. cit.) whilst the catalogue of the Flannery sale describes them as part of a Crucifixion. Since the scenes from the Life of Christ survive more or less in their original location and are thoroughly restored, one might assume that a largely original fragment that was at the disposal of the glaziers would have been reappropriated. Of the St. Alphlege cycle, on the other hand, only three scenes are left in the church and they were remounted in the triforium, far away from the St. Alphlege window's probable location near the saint's tomb just off the northeast transept.

Most of Canterbury Cathedral's important glazing was installed during the decades after the completion of the choir and transept in the late 12th century and the renovation of the Trinity Chapel, with its corona and ambulatory, in the early 13th century. Later building campaigns and liturgical modernisation often led to the removal or relocation of windows, such as the relegation of most of the Trinity Chapel's glass to the triforium of the choir aisle in the 18th century, the large scale discarding of poorly conserved glass in the early 19th century, major restoration campaigns just before and after the publication of Emily Williams survey of the windows in 1897 (op. cit.), and another series of deaccessioning of glass kept in the glazier's workshop in the 1920s. As such the present window is likely to have been removed during one of the earlier campaigns and entered the market via the glazier's workshop in the early 20th century.

RELATED LITERATURE
E. Williams, Notes on the Painted Glass in Canterbury Cathedral, Aberdeen, 1897; B. Rackham, The ancient glass of Canterbury Cathedral, London, 1949, pp. 65-67; M. H. Caviness, 'A panel of thirteenth century stained glass from Canterbury Cathedral in America, The Antiquaries Journal, XLV, 1965, pp. 192-199; K. Hoffmann (ed.), The year 1200, exh. cat. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1970, pp. 67-73 and 221-227; P. Williamson, Medieval and Renaissance stained glass, cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2003, pp. 20-21 and 132, nos. 4 and 5