The Installation of the Knights of the Garter in the Chapel of St George, Windsor. With a View of the Choir. Interior Views of Cathedral and Collegiate Buildings.
Paper Peepshow
ca. 1830 (Published)
ca. 1830 (Published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This paper peepshow depicts the ceremony of installing the knights of the knights of the Garter in the Chapel of St George in Windsor. The elongated shape of the paper peepshow is suitable for re-creating the vaulted architecture of the church and the depth impression. Looking through the peep-hole on the front-face, it is as if we are observing the ceremony ourselves on the upper level of the gallery.
The Order of the Garter, formally known as the Most Noble Order of the Garter, was first established by King Edward III in 1348, although some other historical records put the date four years earlier. It is the oldest and the highest British order of chivalry. The Order was established when Edward III founded the new St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, and associated with it a small group of knights, providing each with a stall in the chapel. St George’s Chapel is the mother church of the Order, and St George the Order’s patron saint.
Although the Order had frequently held services in the Chapel until then, these services became infrequent in the eighteenth century, and ceased in 1805. Only in 1948, for the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Order did King George VI revive the annual service of the Order in the Chapel. The annual service continues today, following the appointments of new members of the Order announced on 23 April. St George’s Day, the formal installation of these members happens on Garter Day, which is the first Monday of the Royal Ascot week, in June. The day begins with the Sovereign of the Garter, the Queen, formally investing any new members in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle, and a short service of the installation of these members follows in St George’s Chapel.
That this work shares the artist and publisher with Gestetner 224,(see references). The Coronation in the Abbey of St Peter’s Westminster, becomes quite obvious when one looks at the style of the slipcase and the front-face: both works use a vignette of the building on the slipcase, and present a close view on the front-face, embedding the peep-hole in the centre. It seems that the publisher had a preference for producing royal events in a church setting, as some content in this paper peepshow was later used in a work representing the ceremony of William IV’s burial. Indeed, the public’s interest in royalty and monarchy, as well as the perspectival view easily achieved in the church, made this topic a fitting choice for the paper peepshow.
The Order of the Garter, formally known as the Most Noble Order of the Garter, was first established by King Edward III in 1348, although some other historical records put the date four years earlier. It is the oldest and the highest British order of chivalry. The Order was established when Edward III founded the new St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, and associated with it a small group of knights, providing each with a stall in the chapel. St George’s Chapel is the mother church of the Order, and St George the Order’s patron saint.
Although the Order had frequently held services in the Chapel until then, these services became infrequent in the eighteenth century, and ceased in 1805. Only in 1948, for the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Order did King George VI revive the annual service of the Order in the Chapel. The annual service continues today, following the appointments of new members of the Order announced on 23 April. St George’s Day, the formal installation of these members happens on Garter Day, which is the first Monday of the Royal Ascot week, in June. The day begins with the Sovereign of the Garter, the Queen, formally investing any new members in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle, and a short service of the installation of these members follows in St George’s Chapel.
That this work shares the artist and publisher with Gestetner 224,(see references). The Coronation in the Abbey of St Peter’s Westminster, becomes quite obvious when one looks at the style of the slipcase and the front-face: both works use a vignette of the building on the slipcase, and present a close view on the front-face, embedding the peep-hole in the centre. It seems that the publisher had a preference for producing royal events in a church setting, as some content in this paper peepshow was later used in a work representing the ceremony of William IV’s burial. Indeed, the public’s interest in royalty and monarchy, as well as the perspectival view easily achieved in the church, made this topic a fitting choice for the paper peepshow.
Object details
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| Brief description | The Installation of the Knights of the Garter in the Chapel of St George, Windsor. With a View of the Choir. Interior Views of Cathedral and Collegiate Buildings, Essex, C., ca. 1830 |
| Physical description | Accordion-style paper peepshow of the installation of the Knights of the Garter. 7 cut-out panels. 1 peep-hole. Hand-coloured aquatint. In a slipcase. Extends to approximately 73 cm. Slipcase: on the green background a label that carries the title and the publisher’s imprint, and an aquatint of the exterior of St George’s Chapel. Front-face: the title, a fictional view of the entrance of the Chapel, the name of the artist, and the publisher’s imprint. A silk tag attached to the top to facilitate extraction from the slipcase. The peep-hole consists of the doors in the centre. Panel 1: the High Altar attended by four canons; on the left men and women sitting in two tiers of stalls; on the right the Queen’s Closet above the gate to Edward IV’s chantry chapel. Panel 2: a group of heralds and a man (possibly Black Rod, officer of the Order of the Garter); men and women sitting in two tiers of stalls on the left. Panel 3: the Knight Elect kneeling before the Sovereign being invested with the Garter; the Choir on either side with knight, clergy and choristers sitting in the stalls; Garter Banners suspended from above. Panels 4 – 6: figures in the aisle; the Choir on either side with knights, clergy and choristers in the stalls; Garter Banners suspended on either side. Panel 7: the organ screen and figures in the middle; knights, clergy and choristers on either side in the stalls; Garter Banners suspended on either side. Back panel: St George’s Chapel’s West Window. A silk tag is attached on the reverse side. |
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| Credit line | Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from the collections of Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016. |
| Object history | Part of the Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection, collected over 30 years and given to the V&A Museum through the government's Cultural Gift Scheme, 2016. |
| Summary | This paper peepshow depicts the ceremony of installing the knights of the knights of the Garter in the Chapel of St George in Windsor. The elongated shape of the paper peepshow is suitable for re-creating the vaulted architecture of the church and the depth impression. Looking through the peep-hole on the front-face, it is as if we are observing the ceremony ourselves on the upper level of the gallery. The Order of the Garter, formally known as the Most Noble Order of the Garter, was first established by King Edward III in 1348, although some other historical records put the date four years earlier. It is the oldest and the highest British order of chivalry. The Order was established when Edward III founded the new St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, and associated with it a small group of knights, providing each with a stall in the chapel. St George’s Chapel is the mother church of the Order, and St George the Order’s patron saint. Although the Order had frequently held services in the Chapel until then, these services became infrequent in the eighteenth century, and ceased in 1805. Only in 1948, for the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Order did King George VI revive the annual service of the Order in the Chapel. The annual service continues today, following the appointments of new members of the Order announced on 23 April. St George’s Day, the formal installation of these members happens on Garter Day, which is the first Monday of the Royal Ascot week, in June. The day begins with the Sovereign of the Garter, the Queen, formally investing any new members in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle, and a short service of the installation of these members follows in St George’s Chapel. That this work shares the artist and publisher with Gestetner 224,(see references). The Coronation in the Abbey of St Peter’s Westminster, becomes quite obvious when one looks at the style of the slipcase and the front-face: both works use a vignette of the building on the slipcase, and present a close view on the front-face, embedding the peep-hole in the centre. It seems that the publisher had a preference for producing royal events in a church setting, as some content in this paper peepshow was later used in a work representing the ceremony of William IV’s burial. Indeed, the public’s interest in royalty and monarchy, as well as the perspectival view easily achieved in the church, made this topic a fitting choice for the paper peepshow. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | 38041016058596 - NAL barcode |
| Collection | |
| Library number | Gestetner 218 |
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| Record created | June 27, 2018 |
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