DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42068#0116
MÉLANGES HULIN DE LOO
85
same artist among our few and fragmentary survivais, but
we possess plentiful records of the employment of painters
at bigla rates of pay by tbe Crown during tbe 14tk century,
we bave some means of estimating tlieir qnality. Tbe
principal work assigned to tbem was tbe décoration of
St. Stephen’s cbapel and of tbe Painted Cliamber witliin
tbe Palace at Westminster. Wben tliis Palace was aban-
doned as a royal résidence it became tbe borne of tbe
Houses of Parliament and of tbe Law Courts, St. Stephen ’s
Cbapel being devoted to meetings of tbe House of Com-
mons. Tbese buildings were destroyed by fire nearly a
century ago and tkeir place was taken by the existing
modem édifice. Tbus the paintings in question were des-
troyed but not before quite good copies were made of
several parts of tbem. Tbese copies hâve recently been
put together and re-copied by Professer Tristram, an
artist wbo bas attained an almost miraculous power of
copying for tbe Victoria and Albert Muséum the remains
of mediaevel wall-paintings in ail parts of tbe country.
Tbey suffîce to prove tbe high quality of the work done by
the cbief painters in the employment of the Court.
By good luck two actual thougk merely décorative pain-
tings survive in a delapidated condition by which tliis sta-
tement can be tried. Tbey are painted on tbe under sides
of the « T esters » wbicb form a kind of wooden roof
to tbe tombs of Edward the Black Prince, Richard’s father,
in Canterbury Cathédral and of Richard himself, in West-
minster Abbey. The Black Prince died in 1376, so tbat
his tester is of tbe âge of the diptycb. Tbe painteb,
Master Peter, was jpaid in 1396 for bis work} on tbe
Westminster tomb. In a recent number of tbe Burlington
Magazine Nov. 1929) I hâve reproduced tlie figure of
St. Matthew’s angel from tbe Black Prince ’s tester. Tbe
existing remains of Master Peter’s Coronation of the
Virgin are of even greater excellence. These considéra-
tions suffice to prove that there were in England in the
85
same artist among our few and fragmentary survivais, but
we possess plentiful records of the employment of painters
at bigla rates of pay by tbe Crown during tbe 14tk century,
we bave some means of estimating tlieir qnality. Tbe
principal work assigned to tbem was tbe décoration of
St. Stephen’s cbapel and of tbe Painted Cliamber witliin
tbe Palace at Westminster. Wben tliis Palace was aban-
doned as a royal résidence it became tbe borne of tbe
Houses of Parliament and of tbe Law Courts, St. Stephen ’s
Cbapel being devoted to meetings of tbe House of Com-
mons. Tbese buildings were destroyed by fire nearly a
century ago and tkeir place was taken by the existing
modem édifice. Tbus the paintings in question were des-
troyed but not before quite good copies were made of
several parts of tbem. Tbese copies hâve recently been
put together and re-copied by Professer Tristram, an
artist wbo bas attained an almost miraculous power of
copying for tbe Victoria and Albert Muséum the remains
of mediaevel wall-paintings in ail parts of tbe country.
Tbey suffîce to prove tbe high quality of the work done by
the cbief painters in the employment of the Court.
By good luck two actual thougk merely décorative pain-
tings survive in a delapidated condition by which tliis sta-
tement can be tried. Tbey are painted on tbe under sides
of the « T esters » wbicb form a kind of wooden roof
to tbe tombs of Edward the Black Prince, Richard’s father,
in Canterbury Cathédral and of Richard himself, in West-
minster Abbey. The Black Prince died in 1376, so tbat
his tester is of tbe âge of the diptycb. Tbe painteb,
Master Peter, was jpaid in 1396 for bis work} on tbe
Westminster tomb. In a recent number of tbe Burlington
Magazine Nov. 1929) I hâve reproduced tlie figure of
St. Matthew’s angel from tbe Black Prince ’s tester. Tbe
existing remains of Master Peter’s Coronation of the
Virgin are of even greater excellence. These considéra-
tions suffice to prove that there were in England in the