Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler and Saint Norbert
Panel
ca. 1522 (made)
ca. 1522 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This window came from the cloisters of the the Premonstratensian Abbey of Steinfeld, near Cologne in Germany. The windows were created and installed in the first half of the 16th century. They were paid for by local clerics and some of these donors were depicted in panels which occupied the lowest parts of the cloister windows.
This panel depicts the donor Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler and his patron saint Norbert. Saint Norbert founded the monastic Order of Premonstratensian Canons in 1120. St Norbert had received a vision of St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in North Africa and one of the Four Fathers of the Western Church, who had died in 430. In this vision, Augustine advised Norbert to adopt a rule for monastic living which he had outlined. This 'rule' emphasised an active life of preaching the gospel to the people but the canons lived and prayed together in a monastic environment. Hence, Canons are quasi-monastic. St Norbert stressed that his canons should be well-educated so that they would be better fit to teach the writings of the Gospel.
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 Steinfeld was closed down in 1802 but prior to that in 1785 the stained glass windows of the cloister had been taken down. It is believed that they were purchased, probably at the time of the closure in 1802, by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Hampp sold the Steinfeld panels to various churches and to private collections. 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.
Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler (1517-1538) commissioned windows for the cloister of the Praemonstratensian abbey of Steinfeld in the Eifel.
We know the layout of the windows of the cloister glazing at Steinfeld from an illustrated manuscript that was made in 1632 and was housed at Trier.
Another manuscript showing the arrangement of the windows is in the state archives in Dusseldorf. This dates from 1719.
The majority of the windows appear to be from the workshop of the glass painter Gerhard Remisch.
This panel depicts the donor Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler and his patron saint Norbert. Saint Norbert founded the monastic Order of Premonstratensian Canons in 1120. St Norbert had received a vision of St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in North Africa and one of the Four Fathers of the Western Church, who had died in 430. In this vision, Augustine advised Norbert to adopt a rule for monastic living which he had outlined. This 'rule' emphasised an active life of preaching the gospel to the people but the canons lived and prayed together in a monastic environment. Hence, Canons are quasi-monastic. St Norbert stressed that his canons should be well-educated so that they would be better fit to teach the writings of the Gospel.
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 Steinfeld was closed down in 1802 but prior to that in 1785 the stained glass windows of the cloister had been taken down. It is believed that they were purchased, probably at the time of the closure in 1802, by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Hampp sold the Steinfeld panels to various churches and to private collections. 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.
Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler (1517-1538) commissioned windows for the cloister of the Praemonstratensian abbey of Steinfeld in the Eifel.
We know the layout of the windows of the cloister glazing at Steinfeld from an illustrated manuscript that was made in 1632 and was housed at Trier.
Another manuscript showing the arrangement of the windows is in the state archives in Dusseldorf. This dates from 1719.
The majority of the windows appear to be from the workshop of the glass painter Gerhard Remisch.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) st |
| Brief description | Panel of clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain depicting a Premonstratensian abbot with St Norbert. From the cloister of the Abbey of Steinfeld. German (Lower Rhine), c.1522 |
| Physical description | The abbot kneels in front of a prayer desk. He wears a green alb and red cope fastened by an oval morse with an image of St John the Baptist holding and pointing to the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). St Norbert stands beside him with his left hand on the abbot’s shoulder. St Norbert wears a bishop’s mitre and carries a crozier. His cope is fastened with a morse with an image of Veronica holding the veil with Christ’s face imprinted on it. Kneeling behind the abbot is a monk in brown robes. He holds a crozier which bears small figures within niches, one of whom is St Peter holding the keys. At the top of the crozier is an image of the seated Virgin and Child. This scene takes place within a room with purple draperies and a red column. Behind the kneeling monk, as if through a window, there is a scene from the life of St Norbert. St Norbert receives a scapular from an angel. This is executed in brown pigment and silver stain on light blue glass. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by E.E. Cook Esquire. |
| Object history | Steinfeld was founded as a Benedictine Abbey in 920 by Sigebod of Hochsteden, Count of Are. In 1099 the Benedictines were removed and Premonstratensian monks were established in the monastery. Because of the threat of war, the cloister windows were taken down in 1785 and were not put back prior to the closure of the monastery in 1802. So, as early as 1785 the windows could have been sold off. In the early years of the 19th century many of the stained glass windows from the abbey of Steinfeld as well as a neighbouring abbey, Mariawald, were sold to the first Earl Brownlow who had them installed in his chapel at Ashridge in Hertfordshire. |
| Historical context | 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 Steinfeld was closed down in 1802 but prior to that in 1785 the stained glass windows of the cloister had been taken down. It is believed that they were purchased, probably at the time of the closure in 1802, by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Hampp sold the Steinfeld panels to various churches and to private collections. 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. Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler (1517-1538) commissioned windows for the cloister of the Praemonstratensian abbey of Steinfeld in the Eifel. We know the layout of the windows of the cloister glazing at Steinfeld from an illustrated manuscript that was made in 1632 and was housed at Trier. Another manuscript showing the arrangement of the windows is in the state archives in Dusseldorf. This dates from 1719. The majority of the windows appear to be from the workshop of the glass painter Gerhard Remisch. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | New Testament |
| Summary | This window came from the cloisters of the the Premonstratensian Abbey of Steinfeld, near Cologne in Germany. The windows were created and installed in the first half of the 16th century. They were paid for by local clerics and some of these donors were depicted in panels which occupied the lowest parts of the cloister windows. This panel depicts the donor Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler and his patron saint Norbert. Saint Norbert founded the monastic Order of Premonstratensian Canons in 1120. St Norbert had received a vision of St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in North Africa and one of the Four Fathers of the Western Church, who had died in 430. In this vision, Augustine advised Norbert to adopt a rule for monastic living which he had outlined. This 'rule' emphasised an active life of preaching the gospel to the people but the canons lived and prayed together in a monastic environment. Hence, Canons are quasi-monastic. St Norbert stressed that his canons should be well-educated so that they would be better fit to teach the writings of the Gospel. 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 Steinfeld was closed down in 1802 but prior to that in 1785 the stained glass windows of the cloister had been taken down. It is believed that they were purchased, probably at the time of the closure in 1802, by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich. Hampp sold the Steinfeld panels to various churches and to private collections. 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. Abbot Johann von Ahrweiler (1517-1538) commissioned windows for the cloister of the Praemonstratensian abbey of Steinfeld in the Eifel. We know the layout of the windows of the cloister glazing at Steinfeld from an illustrated manuscript that was made in 1632 and was housed at Trier. Another manuscript showing the arrangement of the windows is in the state archives in Dusseldorf. This dates from 1719. The majority of the windows appear to be from the workshop of the glass painter Gerhard Remisch. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.270-1928 |
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| Record created | June 14, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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