Lathyrus Odoratus

By lathyrus

Crocketed ogee canopies

A horrible dark, wet and windy day. I've been enjoying the television adaptation of Hilary Mantel's historical novel The Mirror and the Light. I find myself drawn to the occasional glimpses of stained glass in some of the backgrounds but they are too fleeting for me to determine whether they are real or not. This one is real. Its a detail from a late medieval window high up in the walls of St Bartholomew's church, just south of Ludlow at Richard's Castle. According to Robert Walker (in my much read copy of The Medieval Stained Glass of Herefordshire and Shropshire) it probably represents the Coronation of the Virgin with the figures set in "crocketed ogee canopies" (what curious magical words these are). The church interior is quite extraordinary, and very atmospheric. Apparently it has remained untouched since Georgian times and is now only used two or three times a year.

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.