Clear and coloured glass with painted details and silver stain. Depicting St Lawrence. Made by CE Kempe in England in 1889.

Panel. St. Lawrence carrying a book, quill and a grid-iron. Inscription below: "SANCTUS LAURENTIUS".

Given by Mr Walter E. Tower

Charles Eamer Kempe (1837-1907) emerged out the same artistic world as William Morris and the stained glass designers Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Like them, he was inspired by the art and skills of the medieval stained glass maker but did not believe in slavishly copying their designs.

This small panel owes an obvious debt to the art of the middle Ages because of its subject matter and the elaborate arcading and columns surrounding the figure are very much of the Renaissance period. However, the style of the drawing is firmly in the late Victorian period.

Kempe had hoped for a career in the Church but instead he turned to designing church furnishings. He began making stained glass designs in the 1860s.

St Lawrence was a deacon in the early church at a time when it was illegal to profess in the Christian faith. In 258 the Roman Emperor Valerian issued a decree calling for the execution of all Christian church leaders. Contemporary documents record that Lawrence died in prison on 10 August of that year. His steadfast belief and refusal to sacrifice to the Roman gods was an inspiration to early Christisans living through these periods of persecution. His cult developed very quickly and he is still a greatly honoured saint in the Catholic church.

Charles Eamer Kempe came from the same artistic circle as William Morris and the stained glass designers Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Like them, he was inspired by the art and skills of the medieval stained-glass makers but did not believe in slavishly copying their designs.

This small panel owes an obvious debt to the art of the Middle Ages because of its subject matter. The elaborate arcading and columns surrounding the figure recall the art of the Renaissance, while the style of the drawing is typical of the late Victorian period.

Kempe had hoped for a career in the church but instead he turned to designing church furnishings. He began making designs for stained glass in the 1860s.

St Lawrence was a deacon in the early church at a time when it was illegal to profess the Christian faith. In 258 the Roman emperor Valerian issued a decree calling for the execution of all Christian church leaders. Contemporary documents record that Lawrence died in prison on 10 August of that year. He is said to have been roasted on a gridiron.

This panel shows St Lawrence in the robes of a deacon and holding a gridiron (his traditional symbol) and a palm (the sign of a martyr).

C.195-1933