THE FINDING OF THE SAVIOUR IN THE TEMPLE
Brief description: A rectangular stained glass window depicting The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple, painted by Mary Lowndes after William Holman Hunt (1827-1910). The scene has a wide border with leaf scrolls and wreaths. Within this border, is the setting of an interior of the temple, with richly decorated walls and stone-flagged floor. Christ is shown in the centre right, as a boy wearing fringed tunic. He is embraced by Mary on the right, and Joseph behind. To the left, are three seated Jewish elders in white robes, with groups of standing figures behind.
This window depicts the New Testament story of Mary and Joseph finding the young Jesus in the temple in an in-depth discussion with the rabbis. It is a copy of an original oil painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt, now in Birmingham City Art GalleryÂ’s collection. The stained glass window was made by the artist Mary Lowndes for St Martin and All Saints' Church, Oxford. It was commissioned as a memorial for two young brothers Rupert Septimus and Geoffrey Payne, from a local Oxford family who ran a jewellers. The window was removed when the church became redundant. The church building was then converted for use as a Library for Lincoln College, University of Oxford. Mary Lowndes played an important part in the English Arts and Crafts movement and the struggle for women's suffrage. In 1897 she and business partner Alfred Drury founded the firm of Lowndes and Drury, which in 1906 moved to custom-built premises in Lettice Street in Fulham, called the Glass House. Offering studio and workshop facilities to independent designer-makers, the Glass House became an important centre for English Arts and Crafts stained-glass design.
Object type: stained glass window
Number of objects: 3
Production date: 1910
Production period: 20th century, early
Designer: Mary Lowndes (1856 - 1929)
Manufacturer: Lowndes and Drury
Dimensions: Height: 1438 mm, Width: 1872 mm
Acquisition: gift 1974
Acquisition source: Lincoln College
Bibliographical references: Cormack, Peter, Arts and Crafts Stained Glass (2015), pp. 85-86, 90, 95-96, 252, 267
Accession number: ELYGM:1974.1.1
