Misericord
1440-1460 (made), 1850-1880 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
misericord of carved and painted wood depicting the Assumption; a crowned Virgin Mary in an auriole or vesicle-shaped border supported by four red-robed angels; on the left hand side a monk kneels in adoration
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | carved and painted wood |
| Brief description | carved and painted wood, England (Malmsbury), c.1450 |
| Physical description | misericord of carved and painted wood depicting the Assumption; a crowned Virgin Mary in an auriole or vesicle-shaped border supported by four red-robed angels; on the left hand side a monk kneels in adoration |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Object history | Said to have come from Malmesbury Abbey. Formerly part of the Maskell Collection |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Bibliographic reference | Charles Tracy, English Medieval Furniture and Woodwork (London, 1988), cat. no. 87.
Misericord, mutilated and decorated with modern polychromy, representing the Assumption of the Virgin; the Virgin in an auriole or vesica-shaped border borne up by angels, and beneath a kneeling monk (PL.33)
Said to come from Malmesbury Abbey Formerly in the Maskell Collection
Oak. Mid 15th century
19.7 X 31.7 X 16 cm
Mus. No.377-1890
The scene is shown with the Virgin already crowned, and a kneeling monk, at the bottom left-hand side, who takes the place of St Thomas holding the Virgin’s belt. Since the Virgin is crowned it is surprising that the figure of God the Father, or the Trinity, is not included above. Only two other versions of the subject survive on misericords, at Occold, Suffolk and Lincoln Cathedral (At Harlaxton, Lincs there is a misericord consisting of an upturned crown supported on either side by a hand). In the last edition of the catalogue this item was not listed as a misericord but as a ‘corbel’ or ‘bracket-like carving’. However, the previous owner was in no doubt as to its identity (Alfred Maskell, Wood Sculpture, London, 1911.PL53, FIG.9). The piece has been crudely sawn all round and, at the bottom, the monk’s sleeve and the angel's robe have been curtailed. At the top the mouldings of the bracket have been defaced so that any evidence for there having been supporters is missing. The characteristic profile of a misericord with its rapidly diminishing depth from top to bottom is unmistakable. The omission of the upper tier of figures usually present in representations of this subject is logical given the function of the carving. The V&A’s alabaster panel of the second half of the fifteenth century (Acq.No.A.62-1946) displays a crowned Virgin surrounded by angels above which is a broad wavy ledge which supports God the Father flanked by angels (FIQ23). It has been suggested that the ledge represents heaven (Francis Cheetham, English Medieval Alabasters, Oxford, 1984.p.205) and another example of its use has been cited on an alabaster panel in Ghent. At Malmesbury the misericord bracket probably suggested the ledge to the wood carver prompting him to concentrate exclusively on the figure of the Virgin with her attendants. The depiction of the Virgin in a mandorla already crowned is not as common as examples showing her either uncrowned or in the act of being crowned. The iconographical parallels with the V&A’s alabaster panel, already mentioned, can be supplemented with stylistic consonances. The handling of the draperies is very similar in both cases, particularly the flowing cloak of the Virgin. The belted tunics of the angels, gathered at the waist with broad collars at the neck are also close. The Virgin’s hair style is the same, as well as the decorative patterning on the edge of the misericord and the thick ribs on the angel’s wings. The best match for the angels on the Malmesbury misericord is the pair on the end of the tomb of Sir john Cressy, d. 1444, at Dodford, Northants. The handling of the drapery and the wings is very similar and the heads are crowned with bands displaying crosses above the foreheads. Taking into account this comparison, and the stylistic parallels with the V&A’s alabaster panel, a date for the misericord around the middle of the fifteenth century would not be unreasonable.The survival of this misericord probably indicates that it was of some importance and may have come from one of the principal seats. These were usually given some special decorative embellishment. The liturgical choir at Malmesbury was under the crossing tower and in the first bay of the presbytery. The stalls themselves must have been of some pre- tension. We know that they had canopies since the structural evidence for them can still be seen (H. Brakspear, ‘Malmesbury Abbey‘, Archaeol., LXIV, 1913, p.422). The choice of the ‘Assumption of the Virgin’ for a misericord was particularly apt because, in the tenth century the abbey dedicated in the seventh century to St Peter and St Paul, received a new dedication to St Aldhelm and the Blessed Virgin. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 377-1890 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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