The Ascension

Designer: William Morris

Manufacturer: Morris and Co.

1862

Stained glass

The last in the sequence of five apse windows, All Saints, Selsley, Glos.

David O'Connor tells us that this design has "been related to fourteenth-century miniatures in the Queen Mary Psalter, a manuscript that Morris studied in the British Museum" (39), adding that sketches in his notebooks bear that out. But a look at the Psalter, now brilliantly digitised on the British Library website, shows just how much Morris has adapted it (see below; commentary continues after the images).

Photographer: Dr. Jim Cheshire, who retains the copyright.

Dr. Cheshire has most generously shared both image and caption material with us. Psalter page capture, commentary and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]