Abbot Heinrich von Binsfeld of Cornelimünster thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 50b, The Paul and Jill Ruddock Gallery

Abbot Heinrich von Binsfeld of Cornelimünster

Panel
ca. 1520 to 1521 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This panel is one of many in the V&A that comes from the cloisters at Mariawald. These panels come from ten windows on the west and north sides of the cloister, plus one from the north end of the eastern part. The glazing of these cloisters began about 1510 and seem to have been completed in the 1530s.

Mariawald was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1480. The Cistercians were a monastic order established in 1098 in Burgundy at Citeaux. The founder of the Cistercians had broken away from the Benedictines which had been the first monastic order to be established in Europe, in the 6th century.

During the Revolutionary struggles in France and the subsequent religious upheavals under Napoleon, many monastic institutions on the continent were ‘secularised’ and their buildings destroyed. The abbey of Mariawald was closed down in 1802 but fortunately its buildings, including the cloisters, remain largely intact. However, the stained glass windows had been removed and it is believed that they were purchased by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Hampp sold the Mariawald panels to various churches and to private collectors. Many of these were purchased by the collector, Lord Brownlow who had them installed in his new chapel at Ashridge Park in Hertfordshire between 1811 and 1831.

In 1928 the contents of Ashridge Park were sold at auction and a private collector purchased the stained glass and gave it to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

W are able to reconstruct how the panels were placed in the cloister windows. Each window was composed of two openings (‘lights’). Each light was composed of three large panels, plus one small tracery panel. So there would have been eight panels to each window.

From the surviving stained glass panels we can determine the theme of the cloister glazing. Each window had two panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament and two panels with scenes from the New Testament. Above the biblical story panels, were two smaller prophet (or ‘messenger’) panels. These contained half-images of Old Testament prophets holding scrolls with text relating to biblical passages connected with the scenes below. At the base of each window were donor and patron saint panels. These donors were the ones who contributed to the financing of the cloister glazing.

This type of narrative arrangement is known as ‘typological’. Each Old Testament story was a ‘type’ or a prefigurement of a New Testament story (‘antitype’). The prophets on each window would hold text from the Bible relating to the Old and New Testament stories. For example, the Old Testament story of the ‘Sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham’ was seen as a prefigurement of the New Testament story of ‘Jesus Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross’.

The donor in this panel is Heinrich von Binsfeld, abbot of the Abbey of Cornelimunster nearAachen in Germany. We can identify him from the inscription at the bottom of the panel. Opposite to this panel in the same window was one showing the patron saint of Cornelimunster, Pope Cornelius (Museum no.C.325-1928). Heinrich von Binsfeld would have contributed to the costs of one of the cloister windows. We cannot be certain that these panels came from the sixth window in the cloisters at Mariawald.

The typological arrangement was popular in the Middle Ages. The stories were reproduced in manuscripts and in engravings from woodcuts and collectively became known as ‘Biblia Pauperum’ (‘Bibles of the Poor’). At the end of the 15th century the Biblia Pauperum were printed in book form and sold in their thousands. These books were used as design sources for artworks including stained glass panels.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleAbbot Heinrich von Binsfeld of Cornelimünster (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain
Brief description
Panel of clear, coloured and flashed glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain. Depicting Heinrich von Binsfeld. From the cloister of the Abbey of Mariawald. Made in the workshop of Everhard Rensig or Gerhard Remisch. German (Lower Rhine), c.1520 to 1521.
Physical description
Abbot Heinrich kneels in front of a prie-dieu in the centre of the panel, his hands raised in prayer. he wears and gold and white damasked undergarment over which is a red robe with yellow trim and white inset pearls. He holds a pastoral staff which bears an image of a sainted pope who is presumably St. Cornelius. His jewelled mitre rests on the prie-dieu.
The Abbot’s overmantle is fastened in the centre with a morse which bears an image of an imperial eagle, in reference to the imperial status of Colrnelimunster. Above his head are the arms of Cornelimunster plus that of his family. The whole encased in an elaborate Renaissance architectural structure composed of arches and columns.
In the background are a moated, fortified town and landscape painted in brown and silver stain on light blue glass.
Above the figure is a coat of arms comprising gules two pastoral staves crossed in saltire Or (Cornelimunster), overall an Escutcheon sable, a lion rampant Or (van Binsfeld) with an inscription below "dns Hiri[cu]s Bins... Abbas Impial' moster.."
Dimensions
  • In display frame height: 70.6cm
  • In display frame width: 67.6cm
  • In metal frame with perspex backing weight: 9.42kg
  • Sight height: 66.6cm
  • Sight width: 64.0cm
Measurements taken from Stained Glass Handlist. Weight is approximate and includes bubblewrap and Correx packing for decant.Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.
Marks and inscriptions
dns Hiris Bins...Abbas Impia moster
Translation
Lord Heinrich van Binsfeld, abbot of the imperial monastery
Credit line
Given by E.E. Cook Esquire.
Object history
Believed to be from the sixth window of the cloisters of Mariawald.
Historical context
Heinrich von Binsfeld was abbot of the Imperial Abbey of Cornelimunster, near Aachen from 1491 to 1531. About 1520 he restored and considerably enlarged the church building of his abbey.

Goerke records that Heinrich gave a window to Mariawald, dated 1506 which is too early for this panel. The 1506 panel was located in the abbey church.

Above his head is a shield bearing the arms of the abbey of Cornelimunster:
Gules, two pastoral staves in saltire, overall an escutcheon with the family arms of Binsfeld, Sable, a lion rampant or

Mariawald was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1480. The Cistercians were a monastic order established in 1098 in Burgundy at Citeaux. The founder of the Cistercians had broken away from the Benedictines which had been the first monastic order to be established in Europe, in the 6th century.

During the Revolutionary struggles in France and the subsequent religious upheavals under Napoleon, many monastic institutions on the continent were 'secularised' and their buildings destroyed. The abbey of Mariawald was closed down in 1802 but fortunately its buildings, including the cloisters, remain largely intact. However, the stained glass windows had been removed and it is believed that they were purchased by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Hampp sold the Mariawald panels to various churches and to private collectors. Many of these were purchased by the collector, Lord Brownlow who had them installed in his new chapel at Ashridge Park in Hertfordshire between 1811 and 1831.

In 1928 the contents of Ashridge Park were sold at auction and a private collector purchased the stained glass and gave it to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

This panel is one of many in the V&A that comes from the cloisters at Mariawald. These panels come from ten windows on the west and north sides of the cloister, plus one from the north end of the eastern part. The glazing of these cloisters began about 1510 and seem to have been completed in the 1530s.

As the cloisters were never dismantled we can reconstruct how the panels were placed in the architectural structure. The window openings in the cloisters were each composed of two openings ('lights'). Each light was composed of three large panels, plus one small tracery panel. So there would have been eight panels to each window.

From the surviving stained glass panels we can determine the theme of the cloister glazing. Each window had two panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament and two panels with scenes from the New Testament. Above the biblical story panels, were two smaller prophet (or 'messenger') panels. These contained half-images of Old Testament prophets holding scrolls with text relating to biblical passages connected with the scenes below. At the base of each window were donor and patron saint panels. These donors were the ones who contributed to the financing of the cloister glazing.

This type of narrative arrangement is known as 'typological'. Each Old Testament story was a 'type' or a prefigurement of a New Testament story ('antitype'). For example, the Old Testament story of 'Elisha greeted by the Sons of the Prophet' was a prefigurement of the New Testament 'Entry of Christ into Jerusalem' which occurred on what we now call 'Palm Sunday'.

The typological arrangement was popular in the Middle Ages. The stories were reproduced in manuscripts and in engravings from woodcuts and collectively became known as 'Biblia Pauperum' ('Bibles of the Poor'). At the end of the 15th century the Biblia Pauperum were printed in book form and sold in their thousands. These books were used as design sources for artworks including stained glass panels.
Production
The painting of the panel is attributed to the Master of St Severin. See the altarpiece of the Raising of Lazarus originally in Cologne and now in the Bowes Museum.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This panel is one of many in the V&A that comes from the cloisters at Mariawald. These panels come from ten windows on the west and north sides of the cloister, plus one from the north end of the eastern part. The glazing of these cloisters began about 1510 and seem to have been completed in the 1530s.

Mariawald was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1480. The Cistercians were a monastic order established in 1098 in Burgundy at Citeaux. The founder of the Cistercians had broken away from the Benedictines which had been the first monastic order to be established in Europe, in the 6th century.

During the Revolutionary struggles in France and the subsequent religious upheavals under Napoleon, many monastic institutions on the continent were ‘secularised’ and their buildings destroyed. The abbey of Mariawald was closed down in 1802 but fortunately its buildings, including the cloisters, remain largely intact. However, the stained glass windows had been removed and it is believed that they were purchased by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Hampp sold the Mariawald panels to various churches and to private collectors. Many of these were purchased by the collector, Lord Brownlow who had them installed in his new chapel at Ashridge Park in Hertfordshire between 1811 and 1831.

In 1928 the contents of Ashridge Park were sold at auction and a private collector purchased the stained glass and gave it to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

W are able to reconstruct how the panels were placed in the cloister windows. Each window was composed of two openings (‘lights’). Each light was composed of three large panels, plus one small tracery panel. So there would have been eight panels to each window.

From the surviving stained glass panels we can determine the theme of the cloister glazing. Each window had two panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament and two panels with scenes from the New Testament. Above the biblical story panels, were two smaller prophet (or ‘messenger’) panels. These contained half-images of Old Testament prophets holding scrolls with text relating to biblical passages connected with the scenes below. At the base of each window were donor and patron saint panels. These donors were the ones who contributed to the financing of the cloister glazing.

This type of narrative arrangement is known as ‘typological’. Each Old Testament story was a ‘type’ or a prefigurement of a New Testament story (‘antitype’). The prophets on each window would hold text from the Bible relating to the Old and New Testament stories. For example, the Old Testament story of the ‘Sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham’ was seen as a prefigurement of the New Testament story of ‘Jesus Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross’.

The donor in this panel is Heinrich von Binsfeld, abbot of the Abbey of Cornelimunster nearAachen in Germany. We can identify him from the inscription at the bottom of the panel. Opposite to this panel in the same window was one showing the patron saint of Cornelimunster, Pope Cornelius (Museum no.C.325-1928). Heinrich von Binsfeld would have contributed to the costs of one of the cloister windows. We cannot be certain that these panels came from the sixth window in the cloisters at Mariawald.

The typological arrangement was popular in the Middle Ages. The stories were reproduced in manuscripts and in engravings from woodcuts and collectively became known as ‘Biblia Pauperum’ (‘Bibles of the Poor’). At the end of the 15th century the Biblia Pauperum were printed in book form and sold in their thousands. These books were used as design sources for artworks including stained glass panels.
Associated object
Bibliographic references
  • Williamson, Paul. Medieval and Renaissance Stained Glass in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London, 2003. ISBN 1851774041
  • Jakob Polius, 'Analecta sive collectanea antiquitatem', Duren, Stadtarchiv, A30, Hs. 2
  • James Wyatt, Description of the Stained Glass Panels at Ashridge Chapel, privately printed, 1906
  • MR James, Notes of Glass in Ashridge Chapel, Grantham, 1906
  • Hermann Schmitz, Die Glasgemalde des Koniglichen Kunstgewerbemuseums in Berlin, Berlin, 1913
  • Bernard Rackham, 'The Ashridge stained glass', Old Furniture, vol.5 (1928), pp.33-7
  • C.Goerke, Das Zisterzienserkloster Mariawald, Mariawald bei Heimbach, 1932
  • Paul Clemen, Die Kunstdenkmaler der Rheinprovinz, Kreis Schleiden, XI, 2, Dusseldorf, 1932
  • E. Wackenroder, Die Kunstdenkmaker des Kreoses Schleiden, Dusseldorf, 1932
  • Bernard Rackham, 'The Mariawald-Ashridge Glass', Burlington Magazine, Nov. 1944, pp.266-273
  • Bernard Rackham, 'The Mariawald-Ashridge Glass II', Burlington Magazine, April 1945, pp.90-94
  • Bernard Rackham, 'The Ashridge Stained Glass', Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 3rd series, vol.X (1945-7), pp.1-22
  • Wilhelm Neuss, ed., Die Glasmalereien aus dem Steinfelder Kruezgang, Moenchengladbach, 1955
  • J. Kurthen, 'Die alten Kunstfenster'', in Mariawald: Geschichte eines Klosters, Heimback/Eifel, 1962, pp.244-64
  • M. Conrad, 'Zur Geschichte der alten Glasgemalde aus dem Kreuzgang von Kloster Mariawald', Heimatkalendar des Landkreises Schleiden, 1969, pp.95-102
  • William Cole, 'A Hitherto Unrecorded Panel of Stained Glass from the Abbey of Mariawald', Journal of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, XVII (1981-2). pp.21-4
  • Avril Henry, ed., Biblia Pauperum, Scolar Press, 1987
  • Brigitte Wolff-Wintrich, 'Kolner Glasmaleriel sammlungen des 19. Jahrhunderts', in Lust und Verlust Kolner Sammler zwischen Trikolore und Preussenadler, exhibition catalogue (Kunsthalle Koln), Koln, 1995, pp.341-54
  • H.Zakin, 'Mariawald: Cistercian Narrative', in Stained Glass as Monumental Painting, XIXth International Colloquium, CVMA, Krakow, 1998, Cracow, 2000, pp.273-80
  • Raguin and Zakin, Stained Glass before 1700, part 2, pp.127-9, 170-6
  • Foister, Susan, Art of Light: German Renaissance Stained Glass(London: National Gallery Company, 2007), 32 p., ill., ISBN 978 185709 348 3.
Collection
Accession number
C.323-1928

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Record createdApril 22, 2002
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