Joshua
Panel
ca. 1600 (made)
ca. 1600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This painting forms part of a series of panels of Old Testament characters that include Adam and Eve, Moses and the prophets Ezekiel and Elias. It shows Joshua, the leader of the Israelites who succeeded Moses and led them in the conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land. The panel may originally have decorated the screen or gallery of a church or private house. It is typical of the plainer style of church decoration that prevailed after the Reformation from about 1540 onwards. Narrative scenes with Old Testament figures in contemporary dress replaced saints in classical robes. The surface was no longer embellished with rich gilding and intricate two-dimensional patterns. The purpose of such panels was didactic rather than devotional. Simple images, large text and the use of English rather than Latin made the stories accessible to a wide range of people, many of whom were neither well-educated nor literate. .
Place
The panels almost certainly come from the south-west of England. The figures are similar to those on a painted ceiling at Muchelney Abbey and in plasterwork at Montacute House, both in Somerset. The lettering is similar to inscriptions on walls of the Dorset churches of Puddletown and Cerne Abbas. The panels were purchased in 1914 from a dealer from Lynmouth, Devon, by the name of T. Charbonnier. There was a strong tradition in south-western England in the early 17th century of portraying figures of this kind with associated texts in plasterwork. This panel, one of a group of 25 in the V&A, is a rare surviving example of the tradition executed in paint on panel.
Time
From about 1590 stories from the Old Testament supplied popular decorative themes in domestic and church settings in the West Country. Examples include Prideaux Place (1590s -1630s) and Lanydrock (1630s), Cornwall, and the parish church of Widecombe in the Moor, Devon.
This painting forms part of a series of panels of Old Testament characters that include Adam and Eve, Moses and the prophets Ezekiel and Elias. It shows Joshua, the leader of the Israelites who succeeded Moses and led them in the conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land. The panel may originally have decorated the screen or gallery of a church or private house. It is typical of the plainer style of church decoration that prevailed after the Reformation from about 1540 onwards. Narrative scenes with Old Testament figures in contemporary dress replaced saints in classical robes. The surface was no longer embellished with rich gilding and intricate two-dimensional patterns. The purpose of such panels was didactic rather than devotional. Simple images, large text and the use of English rather than Latin made the stories accessible to a wide range of people, many of whom were neither well-educated nor literate. .
Place
The panels almost certainly come from the south-west of England. The figures are similar to those on a painted ceiling at Muchelney Abbey and in plasterwork at Montacute House, both in Somerset. The lettering is similar to inscriptions on walls of the Dorset churches of Puddletown and Cerne Abbas. The panels were purchased in 1914 from a dealer from Lynmouth, Devon, by the name of T. Charbonnier. There was a strong tradition in south-western England in the early 17th century of portraying figures of this kind with associated texts in plasterwork. This panel, one of a group of 25 in the V&A, is a rare surviving example of the tradition executed in paint on panel.
Time
From about 1590 stories from the Old Testament supplied popular decorative themes in domestic and church settings in the West Country. Examples include Prideaux Place (1590s -1630s) and Lanydrock (1630s), Cornwall, and the parish church of Widecombe in the Moor, Devon.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Joshua (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on oak panel |
| Brief description | Joshua |
| Physical description | One of twenty five panels painted with figures representing characters from the Old Testament: Joshua |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
These panels, which may have decorated a screen or gallery of a church, are from a series showing Old Testament figures, a favourite motif of evangelical reformers. Joshua is shown in contemporary dress. The texts are from the Henry VIII version of the Bible of 1538, not the authorised version of 1611.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | The set bought from J. Charbonnier, The Art Gallery, Lynmouth, N. Devon for £37: 10s 'rubbed, scratched and cracked' (RP 14/601M. 1676). Probably that of the decoration of the screen or gallery of a church. Stated to have come from the neighbourhood of Plymouth. 2 Approval for Purchase Forms list the 25 panels; the 1st is dated 3rd Feb 1914 (14/601) for "2 painted wood panels" (14/832) the 2nd is dated 14th Feb 1914 for "23 painted wood panels" (Price for set of 25 - £37.10) and notation in red ink on the 2nd form states "all in more or less damaged condition - 3 with portions of sides split". 31/2/14 Minute paper Clifford Smith refer to "two panels, stated to have come from the neighborhood of Plymouth, are offered by Charbonnier…..there are 25 panels in all…" 1/5(?)/14 Handwritten notes of E Strange describe the panels as "of great interest & importance. The panels represent, without exception, Old Testament characters and are painted, apparently in varnished tempera on oak. They are Western England work and must formerly have formed part of the decoration of a rood screen or gallery in some (s…..). Two panels bear makers' marks. From the nature of the inscriptions….the date would be about the middle of the 16th century, ……so far as I can ascertain no existing church contains a similar set…the work is good & of considerable decorative value…" 19/5/14 Further notes from Strange to the Director 14/1676M explain "My report on (the panels) is in 14/601 h'with but I attach a brief summary showing my reasons for asking you to sanction the purchase as a whole". The summary is a typed list that repeats details given in 14/601. |
| Summary | Object Type This painting forms part of a series of panels of Old Testament characters that include Adam and Eve, Moses and the prophets Ezekiel and Elias. It shows Joshua, the leader of the Israelites who succeeded Moses and led them in the conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land. The panel may originally have decorated the screen or gallery of a church or private house. It is typical of the plainer style of church decoration that prevailed after the Reformation from about 1540 onwards. Narrative scenes with Old Testament figures in contemporary dress replaced saints in classical robes. The surface was no longer embellished with rich gilding and intricate two-dimensional patterns. The purpose of such panels was didactic rather than devotional. Simple images, large text and the use of English rather than Latin made the stories accessible to a wide range of people, many of whom were neither well-educated nor literate. . Place The panels almost certainly come from the south-west of England. The figures are similar to those on a painted ceiling at Muchelney Abbey and in plasterwork at Montacute House, both in Somerset. The lettering is similar to inscriptions on walls of the Dorset churches of Puddletown and Cerne Abbas. The panels were purchased in 1914 from a dealer from Lynmouth, Devon, by the name of T. Charbonnier. There was a strong tradition in south-western England in the early 17th century of portraying figures of this kind with associated texts in plasterwork. This panel, one of a group of 25 in the V&A, is a rare surviving example of the tradition executed in paint on panel. Time From about 1590 stories from the Old Testament supplied popular decorative themes in domestic and church settings in the West Country. Examples include Prideaux Place (1590s -1630s) and Lanydrock (1630s), Cornwall, and the parish church of Widecombe in the Moor, Devon. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.39E-1914 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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