DOI Artikel:
Park, David: The paintings in St Gabriel’s Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.50505#0062
The Paintings in the Apse
The earlier one of the two schemes of Romanesque painting
in the chapel is almost entirely concentrated in the apse, which
measures about 6m across at its widest point. An engraving
published as long ago as 1726 (fig. 2) is - despite its eigh-
teenth-century style - particularly useful in showing the layout
at the eastern end, and in including one or two details which
no longer survive.5 The apse programme comprises three
main elements: apocalyptic subject-matter, and cycles of the
Infancy of St John the Baptist and the Infancy of Christ. The
vault is dominated by a Christ in Majesty in a mandoria sur-
rounded by four angels (fig. 3), while seraphim adorn the
buttresses at the entrance to the apse, and on the soffit of
the arch over the altar recess are representations of the Seven
Stars, the Seven Churches of Asia (figs. 4a and 4b), and of
St John the Evangelist writing the Apocalypse.
The St John the Baptist cycle on the north wall is divided into
two registers, with the Annunciation to Zacharias and Za-
charias appearing to the People in the upper, and the Nativity
and Naming of the Baptist (figs. 5 and 6) in the lower register.
Little more than a ghost now survives of most of the Infancy
of Christ on the opposite wall, which was similarly organised,
with the Annunciation and Visitation in the upper register
(fig. 3) and the Nativity and Magi (?) below. At dado level, the
walls are decorated with fictive draperies as so often in Ro-
manesque schemes, but here the borders are richly jewelled
as befits their cathedral context. (Interestingly, traces of similar
draperies have been noted last year in the corresponding
radiating chapel, dedicated to the Holy Innocents, on the
north side of the crypt, indicating that a similar scheme once
existed there.)6 On the west wall of the apse, only a figure of
a prophet survives, but the soffits of the two entrance arches
to the apse retain their paintings of busts of female saints set
within a complex perspectival meander pattern (figs. 7
and 8). The central carved capital supporting these arches is
probably the best example of Romanesque polychrome
sculpture which survives in situ in England.
One important detail shown in the engraving (fig. 2) but which
no longer survives is the original inscription on the north side
of the apse recording the dedication of the altar to St Gabriel.
In fact, the whole of the apse programme, in its essentials,
revolves around the dedicatee of the chapel in a most sophist-
icated way.7 St Gabriel appears among the angels surround-
ing the Majesty on the vault, and both the Infancy of the
Baptist and that of Christ are represented in the apse since
it is Gabriel who announces their impending births. Great care
has been taken in achieving symmetry in these two cycles,
with the annunciation scenes facing one another at the top
2 St Gabriel’s Chapel, apse: engraving by James Cole (published
1726).
3 St Gabriel’s Chapel, apse: Majesty surrounded by angels on the
vault, and part of the Infancy of Christ on the south wall (right).
of the walls, and even the architectural settings within the
different registers correspond to a considerable degree. Al-
most certainly, the dedication to St Gabriel also accounts at
least partially for the apocalyptic subject-matter in the apse,
with Gabriel perceived as the angel through whom God re-
vealed the prophecy to St John.
Stylistically the paintings have usually been compared to
manuscripts which were illuminated at Canterbury, and which
have commonly been dated to c. 1120-1130. Such manu-
scripts as a Works of St Anselm now in Oxford show similar
- if rather less bold - facial shading, as well as dampfold
draperies of the “nested V-fold“ variety, and even comparable
colouring.8 Ultimately, this style is of Italo-Byzantine origin,
but T. A. Heslop has recently argued in an important paper
that it was transmitted to this part of England via Flemish or
north German art, and he draws attention to the parallels
provided by such works as Roger of Helmarshausen’s port-
able altar of Henry Werl (1100) in Paderborn Cathedral.9 Other
comparisons can be made with, for instance, the fragmentary
wall paintings discovered in 1970 at St Gereon, Cologne,
which date from the beginning of the twelfth century,10 and
with the facial types and other aspects of the wall paintings
at Idensen.
There are, however, difficulties in a dating of the Canterbury
paintings to as early as about the 1120s, which a careful
examination of the supporting stonework to be undertaken
as part of the current research project may help to resolve.
The arches at the entrance to the apse have at some time
been reduced in size, and the adjacent buttresses inserted
in the original apse, but, as has been seen, the painted pro-
gramme extends over these features. Presumably, these arch-
itectural alterations are contemporary with, and indeed de-
signed to support, a rather similar strengthening of St
Anselm’s Chapel, located immediately above on the south
side of the choir. Partly from the style of the carved capitals
of these upper insertions, the alterations have recently all been
60
The earlier one of the two schemes of Romanesque painting
in the chapel is almost entirely concentrated in the apse, which
measures about 6m across at its widest point. An engraving
published as long ago as 1726 (fig. 2) is - despite its eigh-
teenth-century style - particularly useful in showing the layout
at the eastern end, and in including one or two details which
no longer survive.5 The apse programme comprises three
main elements: apocalyptic subject-matter, and cycles of the
Infancy of St John the Baptist and the Infancy of Christ. The
vault is dominated by a Christ in Majesty in a mandoria sur-
rounded by four angels (fig. 3), while seraphim adorn the
buttresses at the entrance to the apse, and on the soffit of
the arch over the altar recess are representations of the Seven
Stars, the Seven Churches of Asia (figs. 4a and 4b), and of
St John the Evangelist writing the Apocalypse.
The St John the Baptist cycle on the north wall is divided into
two registers, with the Annunciation to Zacharias and Za-
charias appearing to the People in the upper, and the Nativity
and Naming of the Baptist (figs. 5 and 6) in the lower register.
Little more than a ghost now survives of most of the Infancy
of Christ on the opposite wall, which was similarly organised,
with the Annunciation and Visitation in the upper register
(fig. 3) and the Nativity and Magi (?) below. At dado level, the
walls are decorated with fictive draperies as so often in Ro-
manesque schemes, but here the borders are richly jewelled
as befits their cathedral context. (Interestingly, traces of similar
draperies have been noted last year in the corresponding
radiating chapel, dedicated to the Holy Innocents, on the
north side of the crypt, indicating that a similar scheme once
existed there.)6 On the west wall of the apse, only a figure of
a prophet survives, but the soffits of the two entrance arches
to the apse retain their paintings of busts of female saints set
within a complex perspectival meander pattern (figs. 7
and 8). The central carved capital supporting these arches is
probably the best example of Romanesque polychrome
sculpture which survives in situ in England.
One important detail shown in the engraving (fig. 2) but which
no longer survives is the original inscription on the north side
of the apse recording the dedication of the altar to St Gabriel.
In fact, the whole of the apse programme, in its essentials,
revolves around the dedicatee of the chapel in a most sophist-
icated way.7 St Gabriel appears among the angels surround-
ing the Majesty on the vault, and both the Infancy of the
Baptist and that of Christ are represented in the apse since
it is Gabriel who announces their impending births. Great care
has been taken in achieving symmetry in these two cycles,
with the annunciation scenes facing one another at the top
2 St Gabriel’s Chapel, apse: engraving by James Cole (published
1726).
3 St Gabriel’s Chapel, apse: Majesty surrounded by angels on the
vault, and part of the Infancy of Christ on the south wall (right).
of the walls, and even the architectural settings within the
different registers correspond to a considerable degree. Al-
most certainly, the dedication to St Gabriel also accounts at
least partially for the apocalyptic subject-matter in the apse,
with Gabriel perceived as the angel through whom God re-
vealed the prophecy to St John.
Stylistically the paintings have usually been compared to
manuscripts which were illuminated at Canterbury, and which
have commonly been dated to c. 1120-1130. Such manu-
scripts as a Works of St Anselm now in Oxford show similar
- if rather less bold - facial shading, as well as dampfold
draperies of the “nested V-fold“ variety, and even comparable
colouring.8 Ultimately, this style is of Italo-Byzantine origin,
but T. A. Heslop has recently argued in an important paper
that it was transmitted to this part of England via Flemish or
north German art, and he draws attention to the parallels
provided by such works as Roger of Helmarshausen’s port-
able altar of Henry Werl (1100) in Paderborn Cathedral.9 Other
comparisons can be made with, for instance, the fragmentary
wall paintings discovered in 1970 at St Gereon, Cologne,
which date from the beginning of the twelfth century,10 and
with the facial types and other aspects of the wall paintings
at Idensen.
There are, however, difficulties in a dating of the Canterbury
paintings to as early as about the 1120s, which a careful
examination of the supporting stonework to be undertaken
as part of the current research project may help to resolve.
The arches at the entrance to the apse have at some time
been reduced in size, and the adjacent buttresses inserted
in the original apse, but, as has been seen, the painted pro-
gramme extends over these features. Presumably, these arch-
itectural alterations are contemporary with, and indeed de-
signed to support, a rather similar strengthening of St
Anselm’s Chapel, located immediately above on the south
side of the choir. Partly from the style of the carved capitals
of these upper insertions, the alterations have recently all been
60