The Three Magi

Clayton & Bell

1861

Detail from a three-light window in the south chancel of St Mary, Lapworth

Warwickshire

William Waters writes perceptively, "Something of the gaucheries of 14th century drawing has been deliberately caught.... In a deft combination of Pre-Raphaelite angularity he has pleasantly reflected the shape of the containing light" (88). Compare this with The Three Magi in a three-light window in the south wall of St Michael, Cornhill, London. These two compostions show how Clayton’s style could vary from medieval-inspired designs influenced by the quirky early drawings by members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to his more classical designs influenced by the Aesthetic Movement.

  • The Three Magi at St Michael's, Cornhill
  • John Richard Clayton, Pre-Raphaelite Associate: Sculptor, Illustrator, and Church Decorator

    • Photograph by Alastair Carew-Cox in Waters 88, reproduced here by kind permission. Text by Dennis T. Lanigan, and formattin, by Jacqueline Banerjee. [Click on the image for a larger picture.]