Panel
1420-1440 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Saints are the heroes and heroines of Christian faith. In the 14th and 15th centuries, they were a popular subject for alabaster carvings. Religious themes penetrated private life, so devotional images of saints were sculpted not only for church interiors, but also for individuals to contemplate within the privacy of their homes. The subject of this panel has not been clearly identified, but it may show the story of St Boniface (died 754), a Devon-born monk who became a German archbishop. He cut down a sacred tree worshipped by pagans. On the left, demons cluster about an upturned tree, enraged but powerless.
The mitred saint, wearing a gown and cloak fastened by a brooch, rides on horseback in the lower right-hand corner of the panel. He holds in his left hand a decorated rein, carved in a similar pattern to the crupper under the horse's tail and across its haunches. His right hand is raised in blessing. A scroll curves down from his right hand. In front of him, on the left-hand side of the panel, is an upturned tree, jagged roots at the top of the panel, with demons' heads among the foliage. A figure wearing a flat cap and a coat, with a sword strapped at his right side, rides on a horse beside the saint. Five similar riders are grouped across the back of the panel, the two left-hand figures raising their right hands. Three of the horses they are riding are visible.
There are two sorts of alabaster. Calcite alabaster is very hard and was used in ancient times. This object is made of gypsum alabaster which is a fine-grained, soft and smooth stone. Although at first glance it looks a little like marble, which it was intended to imitate, it was much easier to carve due to its softness, and alabaster objects were therefore significantly cheaper to produce. Marble does not originate in England, so it was imported if needed.
The carving of alabaster, mostly quarried in Tutbury and Chellaston near Nottingham, took on industrial proportions in England between the middle of the 14th and the early 16th centuries. The market for altarpieces and smaller devotional images was a large one. It included not only religious foundations but also the merchant classes. Many hundreds of English alabasters were exported, some as far afield as Iceland and Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.
The mitred saint, wearing a gown and cloak fastened by a brooch, rides on horseback in the lower right-hand corner of the panel. He holds in his left hand a decorated rein, carved in a similar pattern to the crupper under the horse's tail and across its haunches. His right hand is raised in blessing. A scroll curves down from his right hand. In front of him, on the left-hand side of the panel, is an upturned tree, jagged roots at the top of the panel, with demons' heads among the foliage. A figure wearing a flat cap and a coat, with a sword strapped at his right side, rides on a horse beside the saint. Five similar riders are grouped across the back of the panel, the two left-hand figures raising their right hands. Three of the horses they are riding are visible.
There are two sorts of alabaster. Calcite alabaster is very hard and was used in ancient times. This object is made of gypsum alabaster which is a fine-grained, soft and smooth stone. Although at first glance it looks a little like marble, which it was intended to imitate, it was much easier to carve due to its softness, and alabaster objects were therefore significantly cheaper to produce. Marble does not originate in England, so it was imported if needed.
The carving of alabaster, mostly quarried in Tutbury and Chellaston near Nottingham, took on industrial proportions in England between the middle of the 14th and the early 16th centuries. The market for altarpieces and smaller devotional images was a large one. It included not only religious foundations but also the merchant classes. Many hundreds of English alabasters were exported, some as far afield as Iceland and Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved, painted and gilt alabaster |
| Brief description | Panel, alabaster, depicting St Boniface (?), England, 1420-1440 |
| Physical description | Possibly depicts St Boniface Fells the Oak of Thor. The mitred saint, wearing a gown and cloak fastened by a brooch, rides on horseback in the lower right-hand corner of the panel. He holds in his left hand a decorated rein, carved in a similar pattern to the crupper under the horse's tail and across its haunches. His right hand is raised in blessing. A scroll curves down from his right hand. In front of him, on the left-hand side of the panel, is an upturned tree, jagged roots at the top of the panel, with demons' heads among the foliage. A figure wearing a flat cap and a coat, with a sword strapped at his right side, rides on a horse beside the saint. Five similar riders are grouped across the back of the panel, the two left-hand figures raising their right hands. Three of the horses they are riding are visible. The top right-hand corner of the panel is missing, and there is a small chip from the top left-hand corner. The saint's right hand is damaged and there is a small hole right through the panel just above it. The top of the scroll is missing. The whole of the bottom of the panel is a restoration in plaster. Traces of colour remain. There is black on the faces of the demons and red on their mouths. The saint's horse and two of the horses behind him have traces of brown, the two remaining horses being black with the reins picked out in red. There is some gilding at the top background of the panel and on the saint's mitre. The inscription on the scroll is missing. The back of the panel is marked 'V' and 'IV.' There are three lead-plugged holes. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA |
| Object history | On loan ot the Museum from Dr W.L. Hildburgh since 1938. Given by Dr Hildburgh in 1946. Historical significance: The scene represented is by no means certain but the panel may be of St. Boniface, of whom no other panel is recorded. Alternatively, the scene may represent St. Thomas Becket, one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages, returning to Canterbury. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Saints are the heroes and heroines of Christian faith. In the 14th and 15th centuries, they were a popular subject for alabaster carvings. Religious themes penetrated private life, so devotional images of saints were sculpted not only for church interiors, but also for individuals to contemplate within the privacy of their homes. The subject of this panel has not been clearly identified, but it may show the story of St Boniface (died 754), a Devon-born monk who became a German archbishop. He cut down a sacred tree worshipped by pagans. On the left, demons cluster about an upturned tree, enraged but powerless. The mitred saint, wearing a gown and cloak fastened by a brooch, rides on horseback in the lower right-hand corner of the panel. He holds in his left hand a decorated rein, carved in a similar pattern to the crupper under the horse's tail and across its haunches. His right hand is raised in blessing. A scroll curves down from his right hand. In front of him, on the left-hand side of the panel, is an upturned tree, jagged roots at the top of the panel, with demons' heads among the foliage. A figure wearing a flat cap and a coat, with a sword strapped at his right side, rides on a horse beside the saint. Five similar riders are grouped across the back of the panel, the two left-hand figures raising their right hands. Three of the horses they are riding are visible. There are two sorts of alabaster. Calcite alabaster is very hard and was used in ancient times. This object is made of gypsum alabaster which is a fine-grained, soft and smooth stone. Although at first glance it looks a little like marble, which it was intended to imitate, it was much easier to carve due to its softness, and alabaster objects were therefore significantly cheaper to produce. Marble does not originate in England, so it was imported if needed. The carving of alabaster, mostly quarried in Tutbury and Chellaston near Nottingham, took on industrial proportions in England between the middle of the 14th and the early 16th centuries. The market for altarpieces and smaller devotional images was a large one. It included not only religious foundations but also the merchant classes. Many hundreds of English alabasters were exported, some as far afield as Iceland and Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.196-1946 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 3, 2002 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
