Brief description: Design for a 3 light stained glass window depicting scenes St Nicholas, the Virgin Mary and child and St Christopher
Proposed design for the window in the north aisle depicting St Nicholas in the right hand light, the Virgin Mary and child in the centre light and St Christopher in the right hand light. St. Nicholas, most famous now for being the origin of Santa Claus, here carries a sailing ship and anchor, in his guise as patron saint of sailors. Christopher Webb was a prolific recycler of designs: we can note the head of the young Christ here strongly resembles a roundel in the museum's collection (ELYGM:L1993.6). St. Christopher is a largely legendary saint noted for his strength, and is here shown carrying the young Christ. This comes from a story in which he carries a mysteriously heavy child across a river: the child later reveals himself to be Christ, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Heraldic crests are shown in the tracery. The windows are set against a quarry background. This design was created by Christopher Webb (1886–1966), an English stained glass designer based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. He studied at the Slade School of Art and was then articled to Sir Ninian Comper. During his active career from 1920 to 1964 he produced over 400 windows with a distinctive character and style.
Object type: preparatory artwork design
Number of objects: 1
Production date: 6.1926
Production period: 20th century
Designer: Christopher Webb (1886 - 1966)
Dimensions: Height: 242 mm, Width: 365 mm
Original location: St Nicholas Church, Wells, Norfolk
Acquisition: gift 13.3.2024
Acquisition source: Edwards, J
This item is not currently on display and can only be viewed by prior arrangement
Accession number: ELYGM:2024.14.102
