Left: Whole window. Right: Close-up of the four central angels in the tracery lights, all playing their harps.
Angels Announce the Birth of Jesus to the Shepherds. William Wailes (1808-81). 1861. In the south-east chapel of All Saints, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. The installation of this window was recorded in the Surrey Comet of 24 August 1861 (see Eberhard).
Left to right: (a) Dazzled shepherds, below angels on a cloud bearing the text, "Glory to God in the Highest." (b) The angel announcing the birth of Jesus (as in Luke 2, 8). (c) Shepherds on the right (below the text, "On Earth Peace Goodwill toward Men") with a sheep and a sheepdog at either side.
Wailes produced a window on this joyful theme with typically bright colours and naturalistic groupings, except for the four stylised angels in the tracery.
Photographs, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use these images 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.
Related Material
- An 1890 Morris/Burne Jones window in Lanercost Priory on the same theme (unarguably more distinctive and dramatic)
Bibliography
Eberhard, Robert. "Stained Glass Windows at All Saints." Church Stained Glass Windows. Web. 5 August 2014.
Created 12 May 2015