Jane Seymour
Stained Glass Panel
ca. 1537 (made)
ca. 1537 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This stained glass medallion shows the arms of Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour. On the left of this shield are the royal arms of England, on the right Jane Seymour's arms. They show her descent from five different families who bore coats of arms. The sixth section (top left when viewing, just to the right of centre) has the coat of arms granted her by Henry on their marriage. This is known as a 'coat of augmentation' and was given to elevate her status. Jane was not of royal blood and had served as lady-in-waiting to both of the King's previous wives.
The shield displays the rich effects that could be achieved by scratching through 'flashed' glass to reveal the clear glass beneath the thin ruby layer. The clear glass could then be stained, as with the royal lions. The fleurs-de-lis are stained yellow on light-blue coloured glass.
The Crown's use of heraldic glass as a means of propaganda developed significantly during Henry VIII's reign (1509-1547). Decorated windows of this type, showing the King's arms combined with those of his Queen, were often used in the royal palaces. Given Henry's succession of wives, they were an architectural feature that required regular alteration.
The shield displays the rich effects that could be achieved by scratching through 'flashed' glass to reveal the clear glass beneath the thin ruby layer. The clear glass could then be stained, as with the royal lions. The fleurs-de-lis are stained yellow on light-blue coloured glass.
The Crown's use of heraldic glass as a means of propaganda developed significantly during Henry VIII's reign (1509-1547). Decorated windows of this type, showing the King's arms combined with those of his Queen, were often used in the royal palaces. Given Henry's succession of wives, they were an architectural feature that required regular alteration.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Jane Seymour (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Clear, coloured and flashed glass, painted with brown pigment and yellow stain; the wreath perhaps added later. |
| Brief description | Heraldic stained glass panel depicting the arms of Jane Seymour, clear and coloured glass, leaded, with details painted in brown/black pigment and silver stain, England, about 1537 |
| Physical description | This stained glass medallion shows the arms of Henry VIII impaled with those of his third wife Jane Seymour: On a shield, France modern and England quarterly impaling quarterly of six 1. Seymour augmentation 2. Seymour 3. Beauchamp of Hache 4. Esturmy 5. MacWilliam 6. Coker, the whole encircled by a green wreath bearing five red and two white roses, clasped at the foot by a lion mask, and with a crown above. The shield displays the rich effects that can be achieved by scratching through 'flashed' red glass to reveal the clear glass beneath the thin ruby layer. The clear glass could then be stained, as with the royal lions. The fleurs-de-lis are stained yellow on light-blue coloured glass. Different glass working techniques can be observed in the near identical panel C.454-1919, also at the V&A. |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Said to have come from Mansfield House, Highgate; acquired in 1919 from Arthur L. Radford, Devon. In 1536 the arms of Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, were universally substituted for that of her predecessor Anne Boleyn, who had been executed in May of the same year. On the left of this shield are the royal arms of England, on the right Jane Seymour's arms. They show her descent from five different families who bore coats of arms. The sixth section (top left when viewing, just to the right of centre) has the coat of arms granted her by Henry on their marriage. This is known as a 'coat of augmentation' and was given to elevate her status. Jane was not of royal blood and had served as lady-in-waiting to both of the King's previous wives. |
| Historical context | The Crown's use of heraldic glass as a means of propaganda developed significantly during Henry VIII's reign (1509-1547). Decorated windows of this type, showing the King's arms combined with those of his Queen, were often used in the royal palaces. Given Henry's succession of wives, they were an architectural feature that required regular alteration. |
| Summary | This stained glass medallion shows the arms of Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour. On the left of this shield are the royal arms of England, on the right Jane Seymour's arms. They show her descent from five different families who bore coats of arms. The sixth section (top left when viewing, just to the right of centre) has the coat of arms granted her by Henry on their marriage. This is known as a 'coat of augmentation' and was given to elevate her status. Jane was not of royal blood and had served as lady-in-waiting to both of the King's previous wives. The shield displays the rich effects that could be achieved by scratching through 'flashed' glass to reveal the clear glass beneath the thin ruby layer. The clear glass could then be stained, as with the royal lions. The fleurs-de-lis are stained yellow on light-blue coloured glass. The Crown's use of heraldic glass as a means of propaganda developed significantly during Henry VIII's reign (1509-1547). Decorated windows of this type, showing the King's arms combined with those of his Queen, were often used in the royal palaces. Given Henry's succession of wives, they were an architectural feature that required regular alteration. |
| Bibliographic reference | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.455-1919 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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