O Ye Winter and Summer / O Ye Winds of God, by George Heywood Sumner (1853-1940). Two of the series commissioned by the Reverend William John Coussmaker in 1888 as a memorial to his wife. St Mary the Virgin, Llanfair Kilgeddin, Monmouthshire. Photograph and text by Michael Statham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Part of the sequence in the nave, these two scenes depict, on the left, "O ye winter and summer" — a tree stands in the centre bare of leaves on one side and in full leaf on the other. Beneath the winter side a sad figure stands in snow with head bent and covered whilst on the summer side a smiling figure stands beside a wheatfield with flowers at her feet. On the right, "O ye winds of God" depicts the four winds in the form of angels. Peter Knight notes that "Pre-Raphaelite influence on the figures in the seasons and winds panel is evident" (24).
Link to related material
- Three Benedicite Windows, St Peter's Church, Staines, by Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne (a different treatment of the theme in a different medium)
Bibliography
Knight, Malcolm Peter. The Sgraffito of Heywood Sumner (1853–1940). MSc Thesis University of Liverpool. 30 April 2021. Two Volumes. Available online at the University of Liverpool Repository.
Created 12 December 2022