Prophet Malachi
Panel
ca.1522 to 1526 (made)
ca.1522 to 1526 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This panel is one of many in the V&A that comes from the cloisters at the Cistercian abbey of Mariawald, in Germany. Founded in 1480, the abbey was closed down in 1802. The stained glass windows had been removed and are believed to have been bought by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Many were subsequently purchased by Lord Brownlow and installed in his new chapel at Ashridge Park, Hertfordshire, between 1811 and 1831. In 1928 the contents of Ashridge Park were sold at auction. A private collector purchased the stained glass and gave it to the V&A.
Each cloister window was composed of two openings (‘lights’). Each light was composed of three large panels, plus one small tracery panel. So each window had eight panels. Two panels depicted scenes from the Old Testament and two panels scenes from the New Testament. Above the biblical story panels were two smaller prophet (or ‘messenger’) panels with half-images of Old Testament prophets holding scrolls, as here. At the base of each window were donor and patron saint panels. The donors helped finance 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 held the biblical text relating to the Old and New Testament stories. Here the prophet Malachi predicts the coming of Jesus Christ. The rest of the window contains scenes relating to the infancy of Christ. The inscription on the scroll is taken from the Book of Malachi and the full text reads:
Veniet ad templum sanctum suum dominator dominus quem vos queritis, et angelum testamenti quem vos vultis (The Lord whom you seek will enter His holy temple, and the angel of the convenant whom you yearn for).
Each cloister window was composed of two openings (‘lights’). Each light was composed of three large panels, plus one small tracery panel. So each window had eight panels. Two panels depicted scenes from the Old Testament and two panels scenes from the New Testament. Above the biblical story panels were two smaller prophet (or ‘messenger’) panels with half-images of Old Testament prophets holding scrolls, as here. At the base of each window were donor and patron saint panels. The donors helped finance 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 held the biblical text relating to the Old and New Testament stories. Here the prophet Malachi predicts the coming of Jesus Christ. The rest of the window contains scenes relating to the infancy of Christ. The inscription on the scroll is taken from the Book of Malachi and the full text reads:
Veniet ad templum sanctum suum dominator dominus quem vos queritis, et angelum testamenti quem vos vultis (The Lord whom you seek will enter His holy temple, and the angel of the convenant whom you yearn for).
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Prophet Malachi |
Materials and techniques | Clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain. |
Brief description | Clear and coloured glass with painted details and silver (yelllow) stain. Depicting the Old Testament prophet Malachi with a scroll. From the cloisters of the abbey of Mariawald. Made in the workshop of Everhard Rensig or Gerhard Remisch. Germany (Lower Rhine), c.1522 to 1526. |
Physical description | Stained glass tracery light in pale green and white, grisaille and yellow stain, depicting the Prophet Malachi, half length with a scroll inscribed "VENIET AD TEMPLUM SANCTUM SUUM". Malachi wears a pale green robe with a white collar; the rest painted in grisaille and yellow stain. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions | VENIET AD TEMPLUM SANCTUM SUUM (The inscription is taken from the Book of Malachi and the full text reads:
Veniet ad templum sanctum suum dominator dominus quem vos queritis, et angelum testamenti quem vos vultis (The Lord whom you seek will enter His holy temple, and the angel of the convenant whom you yearn for).)
|
Object history | In the cloister of Mariawald until about 1802. From about 1811 until 1928 it was installed in the Chapel at Ashridge Park, Hertfordshire. (12 July 1928) Sold at Sotheby's. The glazing of the Mariawald cloister, confined to ten windows on the west and north sides and one at the north end of the east walk, and made up entirely of two-light windows, seems to have started at the beginning of the second decade of the 16th century and probably continued until the early 1530s. From the surviving panels and the existing windows it can be seen that the programme was made up of paired Old and New Testament scenes arranged typologically one above the other (New Testament at the second level, Old Testament in the third), as in the Biblia Pauperum, with donor panels placed on the lowest level. A prophet with a scroll occupied the cusped head of each light. Believed to be from the third window in the cloisters at Mariawald. |
Historical context | 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 Napolean, 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 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 the ‘Sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham’ was a prefigurement of the New Testament ‘Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross’. The typological arrangement was popular in the Middle Ages. The stories were reproduced in manuscripts and in engravings from woodcuts and collectively were 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. |
Subjects depicted | |
Literary references |
|
Summary | This panel is one of many in the V&A that comes from the cloisters at the Cistercian abbey of Mariawald, in Germany. Founded in 1480, the abbey was closed down in 1802. The stained glass windows had been removed and are believed to have been bought by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Many were subsequently purchased by Lord Brownlow and installed in his new chapel at Ashridge Park, Hertfordshire, between 1811 and 1831. In 1928 the contents of Ashridge Park were sold at auction. A private collector purchased the stained glass and gave it to the V&A. Each cloister window was composed of two openings (‘lights’). Each light was composed of three large panels, plus one small tracery panel. So each window had eight panels. Two panels depicted scenes from the Old Testament and two panels scenes from the New Testament. Above the biblical story panels were two smaller prophet (or ‘messenger’) panels with half-images of Old Testament prophets holding scrolls, as here. At the base of each window were donor and patron saint panels. The donors helped finance 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 held the biblical text relating to the Old and New Testament stories. Here the prophet Malachi predicts the coming of Jesus Christ. The rest of the window contains scenes relating to the infancy of Christ. The inscription on the scroll is taken from the Book of Malachi and the full text reads: Veniet ad templum sanctum suum dominator dominus quem vos queritis, et angelum testamenti quem vos vultis (The Lord whom you seek will enter His holy temple, and the angel of the convenant whom you yearn for). |
Associated object | C.294-1928 (Object) |
Bibliographic references |
|
Collection | |
Accession number | C.220A-1928 |
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 | April 30, 2002 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest