Jacob and the Mess of Pottage
Panel
ca. 1863 (made)
ca. 1863 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was established in 1861. It employed artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones, who were instrumental in starting a new trend in the design of stained glass.
The Gothic Revival was a ‘boom period’ for church building and furnishing. But most of the stained glass that was created was noted for its slavish copying of medieval glass. Morris and his friends moved away from this historicism. Their designs for stained glass show a remarkable freedom in style and a softening in the choice of colours and tones.
In 1864 the firm completed a series of windows for the Cathedral of St Peter in Bradford. Dante Gabriel Rossetti designed many panels for these windows, including a full-length version of Jacob and the Mess of Pottage. The panel here is probably a trial piece that was never displayed.
Jacob was one of the Old Testament patriarchs. He was the younger of the twin sons of Isaac, Abraham’s son. The older twin, Esau, was meant to inherit everything. When Esau returned from a long journey, Jacob offered him a mess of pottage to satisfy his hunger. In exchange, he was to give Jacob his birthright as the elder son. Esau agreed to the exchange.
In medieval schemes, this Old Testament story often prefigures the Betrayal of Christ by Judas.
The Gothic Revival was a ‘boom period’ for church building and furnishing. But most of the stained glass that was created was noted for its slavish copying of medieval glass. Morris and his friends moved away from this historicism. Their designs for stained glass show a remarkable freedom in style and a softening in the choice of colours and tones.
In 1864 the firm completed a series of windows for the Cathedral of St Peter in Bradford. Dante Gabriel Rossetti designed many panels for these windows, including a full-length version of Jacob and the Mess of Pottage. The panel here is probably a trial piece that was never displayed.
Jacob was one of the Old Testament patriarchs. He was the younger of the twin sons of Isaac, Abraham’s son. The older twin, Esau, was meant to inherit everything. When Esau returned from a long journey, Jacob offered him a mess of pottage to satisfy his hunger. In exchange, he was to give Jacob his birthright as the elder son. Esau agreed to the exchange.
In medieval schemes, this Old Testament story often prefigures the Betrayal of Christ by Judas.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Jacob and the Mess of Pottage (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Clear, coloured and flashed glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain |
| Brief description | Stained glass panel depicting Jacob and the Mess of Pottage. Designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. about 1863. |
| Physical description | Panel of stained and painted glass. A beardless man, three-quarter length and head half-turned to left, wears a dark green robe and a fur pelisse. He has a red pouch hanging at his left side. He holds a light brown skillet containing a lumpy food substance and from which arises a white cloud of steam. The background is dark red. At the sides there is a narrow formal border of clear glass with rosettes executed in silver stain and painted in black enamel. The clear glass borders at the top and bottom are painted with simple wavy lines. Behind the figure's head is a scroll composed of clear glass with yellow (silver) stain and 'Jacob Pathriarcha' painted in black enamel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Prototype |
| Marks and inscriptions | Jacob Patriarcha
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by J. R. Holliday |
| Object history | Refer to the J.R. Holliday Bequest Nominal file: It appears that this panel was part of Holliday's personal collection and was one of 20 panels Holliday wished to present to the museum. Out of the 20 panels, which were never further described other than 'early Morris & Co. glass', only this one came to the museum at Holliday's death in 1927. It seems that the attribution to Burne-Jones, and possibly the date of '1860', begins with Rackham in 1927 when he lists the new acquisitions. He does not describe the subject matter. Historical significance: This is one of the earliest panels executed by the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. Many of their early panels, whilst exciting in their freedom from historicism and slavish imitation, are quite clumsy in execution. |
| Historical context | According to Sewter, the design of this panel is the same as the upper part of the Jacob panel in the east window at Bradford Cathedral, documented as by Rossetti. |
| Production | Design originally attributed to Edward Burne-Jones Attribution note: The design of this panel is the same as the upper part of the Jacob panel made for Bradford Cathedral. This panel may have been produced as part of the commission, perhaps as a trial piece. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | Old Testament |
| Summary | The firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was established in 1861. It employed artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones, who were instrumental in starting a new trend in the design of stained glass. The Gothic Revival was a ‘boom period’ for church building and furnishing. But most of the stained glass that was created was noted for its slavish copying of medieval glass. Morris and his friends moved away from this historicism. Their designs for stained glass show a remarkable freedom in style and a softening in the choice of colours and tones. In 1864 the firm completed a series of windows for the Cathedral of St Peter in Bradford. Dante Gabriel Rossetti designed many panels for these windows, including a full-length version of Jacob and the Mess of Pottage. The panel here is probably a trial piece that was never displayed. Jacob was one of the Old Testament patriarchs. He was the younger of the twin sons of Isaac, Abraham’s son. The older twin, Esau, was meant to inherit everything. When Esau returned from a long journey, Jacob offered him a mess of pottage to satisfy his hunger. In exchange, he was to give Jacob his birthright as the elder son. Esau agreed to the exchange. In medieval schemes, this Old Testament story often prefigures the Betrayal of Christ by Judas. |
| Bibliographic reference | A.C. Sewter, The Stained Glass of William Morris and his Circle, 2 vols., Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1974, pp.102-5 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.322-1927 |
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| Record created | July 21, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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