Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Eton Mess

I was enjoying a delicious lunch at The Chequers restaurant in Churchill, Oxon last week and observed a fellow diner tucking in to an Eton Mess from the pudding menu. It reminded me of my own version of the same subject. Much less dangerous to the waistline!

If you’re stuck inside and fancy a virtual walk in the woods or up and over the hills – try walking quite fast with Sue Clapham. Lovely photos and interesting literary references.

http://walking-quite-fast.blogspot.com/

I was delighted to have been able to contribute in a very small way (literally!) to the Experience of Worship Research Project events this summer at St Teilo’s. I painted a crucifixion scene for the little replica pax board used during the celebrations of the re-enacted medieval mass. The little miniature (the wooden pax board measures approx 16cm x 12cm) was not intended to be an exact copy of the original but a sympathetic re working in gouache on parchment of the pax (dated to circa 1500).  The article below gives more details. (Article taken from News Wales 9 Sep 2011)

The Replica Sandon Pax

The Original Sandon Pax

Experience a Medieval mass at St Teilo’s

Section Education | Published on 9 Sep 2011

Step into the Medieval Church of St Teilo’s next week (Tuesday 13th and Thursday 15th 11.30 & 4.00) and you will experience, as closely as possible, the sights and sounds that accompanied our Medieval ancestors at prayer. The rare and unusual services take place at the reconstructed medieval decorated church of St Teilo at St Fagans: National History Museum of Wales.

In the morning, a medieval Mass and Procession with authentic music, will be celebrated by people in period dress and using recreated religious artefacts. Compline, the final church service of the day, and a short related devotion in honour of the Holy Name of Jesus will also be celebrated at 4pm. All of these services will be sung to Latin plainchant, with some polyphonic music for choir or organ.

Members of the public are also welcome to attend.

The ritual enactments take place as part of a Bangor University research project: The Experience of Worship in Medieval Cathedral and Parish Church.

“What we’re doing is trying to recreate the medieval experience of worship as authentically as possible. We’re also reliving the devotional services that we think would have been heard regularly at St Teilo’s. The recreations also help those of us who study music to better understand that element and bring new insights to our colleagues in several other subject areas – the medieval church, social history, art and archaeology,” said Sally Harper, one of the project investigators.

The Arms of Christ based on the carving made for Cardinal David Beaton c. 1530 painted by Lois Raine for The Experience of Worship Research Project to stand on the Jesus Altar, St Teilo’s Church, St Fagans Museum 7 xi 2011Professor John Harper, who leads the project says: “A long period of research lies behind these church services. The project team has examined many early written sources and surviving artefacts. A complete set of historically-informed vestments and essential ritual objects have now been made, in addition to a rare reconstruction of a medieval organ.”

Prof Harper explains further: “About a dozen craftspeople have contributed to the project to date. No fewer than five individuals (including a wood turner and a blacksmith) collaborated in making a copy of the very rare painted pax board that survives at Sandon Parish Church in Essex, and dates from around1500. This object was kissed during the Mass by each member of the medieval congregation in strict status order – a moment of particular reverence. The project has also enabled recreation of a painting of the ‘Arms of Christ’, two pyxes or containers used for consecrated bread, flagons, an incense boat and spoon, and hanging lamps.

Professor John Harper of Bangor’s International Centre for Sacred Music Studies, is working in association with Dr Sally Harper and Judith Aveling of Bangor University’s School of Music and colleagues from Oxford University and Newcastle University. The project is funded by both the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the Economic & Social Research Council as part of the ‘Religion and Society’ programme.

The project seeks to reveal not only how worship was conducted and experienced in the Middle Ages, but also how this might lead to new insights about worship in medieval buildings today. The project’s partner organizations are St Fagans and Salisbury Cathedral, and a team of associated clergy is led by Canon Jeremy Davies, precentor of Salisbury Cathedral.

The Latin liturgies themselves have been assembled from a variety of manuscript and printed sources of the widespread liturgical Use of Salisbury rite (‘Sarum Use’) and will be published online. Some of the melodies will be sung direct from original notation. The project team will be leading further enactments in Salisbury Cathedral on 6 October and 9 October.

http://www.bangor.ac.uk/music/AHRC/index.php.en

http://www.loisraine.com/index.php

http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/news.php?id=558

Three designs inspired by scenes from the Christmas story as depicted in a twelfth century Canterbury Psalter.

Little Donkey

Glad Tidings

Star of Night

I am in the process of designing new cards for Christmas 2011. There will be a Norwich theme ahead of a visit to Norfolk for a conference in November.

Norwich Nativity

Norwich Nativity Moonlit

And there were shepherds abiding in the fields (detail)

Both designs have been inspired by the fifteenth century pictorial roof bosses in Norwich Cathedral

What Musick is there that compar’d may be

To well-tun’d Bells enchanting melody!

Breaking with their sweet sound the willing Air,

And in the listening ear the soul ensare…….

From the opening lines of ‘Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing’ by Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman. First published 1668

Oranges and Lemons

Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement’s.

You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin’s.

When will you pay me?
Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,
Say the bells of Shoreditch.

When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.

I do not know,
Says the great bell of Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

Commemorating the Anniversary of the King James Bible

The King James Bible Commemorative Charger.

The King James Bible Plate (detail)

Thy words giveth light

Psalm 119 : 130

http://www.kingjamesbibletrust.org

Commemorating the marriage of Prince William and Katherine Middleton in 2011

Love and Cherish Royal Charger

Commemorating the Matt Stokes/Sam Lee film version of The Gainsborough Packet

http://www.samleesong.co.uk/

Now What Think You Of This Dere Friend Pybus

The Gainsborough Packet (detail)

The Siege of the Castle of Love

The Siege of the Castle of Love, was a familiar, if somewhat complex, allegory popular in Medieval art and literature.

Courtly Love (detail from The Siege of the Castle of Love)

2011 is The King James Bible 400th Anniversary Year.  With my mind turning towards the Seventeenth Century here is a design that pays homage in the style of seventeenth century Delftware pottery to a more topical example of courtly love.

Love and Cherish Delftware Charger

Commemorating the marriage of Prince William and Katherine Middleton in 2011

Nuns on the Run

In their little boat, steered and protected by angels, St Frideswide and her sisters escape up the River Thames to Bampton.

St Frideswide was escaping from the unwelcome attentions of King Algar of Leicester. Warned by the angel, Frideswide and her two companions were rowed from Oxford to a swineherd’s hut in Bampton Woods where they hid for three years from Algar and his henchmen before returning safely to their monastery in Oxford.  King Didan, Frideswide’s father, had built and endowed the double monastery (where Christ Church College and Oxford Cathedral now stand) in the late seventh century and installed his daughter as its first Abbess.  St Frideswide died there on October 19th 727AD. Her elaborate thirteenth century shrine can now be visited in Christ Church Cathedral.

Three Nuns in a Boat (detail)

The Legend of St Frideswide

The design of this painting is based on an illuminated manuscript produced in Oxford in the mid thirteenth century by a named illuminator – W. de Brailes. Contemporary records have revealed that in university cities such as Paris and Oxford the craftsmen involved in book production would live near each other in streets or neighbourhoods to make co-operation during book production easier. In Oxford in the mid thirteenth century W de Brailles is one of the illuminators named as working in and around Catte Street.

Musical details from some of Alison’s paintings.

“Dancing serves no necessary use;
no profitable, laudable or pious end at all.
It issues only from the inbred
pravity, vanity, wantonness,
incontinency, profaneness, or
madness of men’s depraved natures.”

William Prynne(1600-1669)