Panel thumbnail 1

Panel

ca. 1862 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
The firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was founded in 1861 and dedicated much energy to making stained glass for secular use. This panel, the second of six relating the legend of St George and the Dragon, depicts 'How the damsels of the court cast lots who should be the Dragon's meat and how the lot fell to the King's daughter'. The series was believed to have been made to decorate windows at Harden Hall in Bingley, West Yorkshire. Morris & Co. soon built up an extensive repertoire of designs which could be reproduced or adapted for new commissions. At least one other version of the series is know to survive in a house in Cragside, Northumberland.

People
This series was designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882). Following his preoccupations with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, he came into contact with William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones in 1856. They shared an enthusiasm for the legendary past and expressed it in narrative cycles such as this. Rosetti produced considerably fewer cartoons for stained-glass windows than others in the group, and his interest in the medium died out after a few years.

Materials & Making
Morris & Co. lacked the technical expertise to make the glass for their designs, but bought it from the London glassmakers James Powell & Sons. A wide range of high quality 'pot metal' (coloured glass) is used in this panel. The olive greens and rich, dark reds, juxtaposed with dazzling areas of gold and white, are characteristic of the innovative palette used throughout the series.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Stained and painted glass
Brief description
Stained glass panel depicting the Legend of St George: How the good knight St.George of England slew the dragon and set the princess free
Physical description
Panel. St. George and the Dragon. The Princess naked to the waist and fastened to a tree. St. George decapitating the dragon. Inscription below: "HOW THE GOOD KNIGHT ST. GEORGE OF ENGLAND SLEW THE DRAGON AND SET THE PRINCESS FREE".
Dimensions
  • Height: 60.5cm
  • Width: 68.8cm
  • Depth: 3.2cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 22/08/2000 by Drew
Marks and inscriptions
Along base of panel 'How the good knight St. George of England slew the dragon and set the Princess free'
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
STAINED GLASS PANELS: The legend of St. George and the Dragon

Churches provided Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. with their first successful commissions as decorators. The firm's stained glass windows were particularly popular and they soon began producing secular designs for use in the home. This series of six windows shows the legend of St George. Rossetti designed many stained-glass panels for the firm. His compositions were always vigorous and dramatic.
Object history
Designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (born in London, 1828, died in Birchington-on-Sea, Kent, 1882); made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co., London
Summary
Object Type
The firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was founded in 1861 and dedicated much energy to making stained glass for secular use. This panel, the second of six relating the legend of St George and the Dragon, depicts 'How the damsels of the court cast lots who should be the Dragon's meat and how the lot fell to the King's daughter'. The series was believed to have been made to decorate windows at Harden Hall in Bingley, West Yorkshire. Morris & Co. soon built up an extensive repertoire of designs which could be reproduced or adapted for new commissions. At least one other version of the series is know to survive in a house in Cragside, Northumberland.

People
This series was designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882). Following his preoccupations with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, he came into contact with William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones in 1856. They shared an enthusiasm for the legendary past and expressed it in narrative cycles such as this. Rosetti produced considerably fewer cartoons for stained-glass windows than others in the group, and his interest in the medium died out after a few years.

Materials & Making
Morris & Co. lacked the technical expertise to make the glass for their designs, but bought it from the London glassmakers James Powell & Sons. A wide range of high quality 'pot metal' (coloured glass) is used in this panel. The olive greens and rich, dark reds, juxtaposed with dazzling areas of gold and white, are characteristic of the innovative palette used throughout the series.
Bibliographic reference
Page 136 (with image) Laurie Marty de Cambiaire, Drawings & Sketches, (Paris: Marty de Cambiaire, 2015)
Collection
Accession number
C.319-1927

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Record createdJuly 21, 1998
Record URL
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