Panel of clear and coloured glass with painted details depicting the Agnus Dei. French or English, 1850-60.

Panel of clear and coloured glass with painted details depicting the Agnus Dei.

The image on this panel is the Agnus Dei ('Lamb of God'). It is one of the most frequently used symbols for Jesus Christ.

The lamb was a sacrificial animal in the Jewish faith. It was sacrificed in rituals as a symbolic washing away of sin. Christ's own sacrifice for mankind on the Cross is symbolised by the lamb.

In the Fourth Gospel (John 1: 29) St. John the Baptist greets the approaching Jesus with the words:
'Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world'. St. John the Baptist is thus often portrayed holding the lamb.

The origins of this panel is unknown. It was made in the middle of the nineteenth century in the style of 13th or 14th century French stained glass.

In the nineteenth century there was a huge interest in medieval art and especially in the art of making stained glass in the medieval manner. This period is known as the 'Gothic Revival'.

Stained glass artists travelled around Europe studying the medieval windows in cathedrals and churches. They carried out experiments trying to imitate the colouring and quality of medieval glass.

The products of these experiments were shown in exhibitions in London and in Paris and it is possible that this panel was made for one of these.

The image on this panel is the Agnus Dei (Latin for ‘Lamb of God’). It is one of the most frequently used symbols for Jesus Christ.

In the Jewish faith the lamb was a sacrificial animal. It was sacrificed in rituals as a symbolic washing away of sin. Christ’s own sacrifice for mankind at the Crucifixion is symbolised by the lamb.

In the Fourth Gospel (John 1: 29) St John the Baptist greets the approaching Jesus with the words ‘Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world’. The Baptist is thus often portrayed holding the lamb.

We do not know where this panel came from. It was made in the middle of the 19th century in the style of 13th- or 14th-century French stained glass.

In the 19th century, during the ‘Gothic Revival’, there was a huge interest in medieval art, and especially in the art of making stained glass in the medieval manner. Stained-glass artists travelled around Europe studying medieval windows in cathedrals and churches. They carried out experiments trying to imitate the colouring and quality of medieval glass. The products of these experiments were shown in exhibitions in London and in Paris, and it is possible that this panel was made for one of these.

CIRC.90-1910