Left: Whole window. Right: Closer view of right-hand panel, "Spes." [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Fides, Caritas, Spes, the east window of St Matthew's Church, Ashford, Surrey. Michael O'Connor (1801-1867). This is a stylistic attribution (see Eberhard). Fides, the figure representing faith on the left, clings to a patterned cross; Caritas or Charity in the middle reveals her feeling heart; and Spes, or hope, holds a small encircled cross which forms part of an anchor. She gazes into the globe as if it were a crystal ball. These three figures form a highly decorative sequence in brilliant colours.
The Biblical scenes below the allegorical figures illustrate the life of Jesus in tiny, crowded and again quite jewel-like miniatures. They show, from left to right, the Adoration of the Magi, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. According to the parish history, the window "became available by courtesy of St. Mary Magdalene's, Littleton," which is only a few miles away — this was probably due to nineteenth-century alterations at the other church.
Photographs by John Salmon, 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 it in a print one.
Related Material
- St Matthew's Church, Ashford, Surrey
- Window on the same theme by William Wailes
- Window on the same theme by Edward Burne-Jones
- Caritas and Fides by Ninian Comper in Christ Church, Esher
Sources
Eberhard, Robert. "Stained Glass Windows at St Matthew's, Ashford, Surrey." Church Stained Glass Windows. Web. 11 March 2017.
"St Matthew's Ashford: History of the Parish." St Matthew's Ashford. Web. 11 March 2017.
Created 12 March 2017