Studio: international art (88.1924)

BRITISH PAVILION AND BASILICA AT WEMBLEY

Entering the massive gateway, we come
at once on to the balcony of the Court of
Honour. The roof of this Court is a very
interesting example of stained glass work
—interesting from two points of view as
well as from the aesthetic, the technical
and the utilitarian. The centre panel
represents the six daughters of the Empire
joining hands round the sun, the whole
forming a star, while on either side there .
are sheets of plain glass surrounded by
figures of the animals of the Empire, some

cartoons for which we reproduce. The 1 IT

work of Mr. Reginald Bell, who is respon-
sible for these decorations, is well-known
to our readers, who are already familiar
with his high achievements in this direc-
tion : but here he has employed a
technique too little used in this country
hitherto, for the drawing of the design,
down to its minutest detail, is done by
means of the leads. We have spoken of a
second point of particular interest: this

ill



if







british empire exhibition, the
basilica. chapel designed by
w. h. r. blacking ; executed
by j. wippell and co., ltd.

is the employment of stained glass for
secular decoration. Mr. Bell's performance
reminds us that there is no need for an
indissoluble connection between stained
glass and things ecclesiastical, a conclusion
which may bring comfort to those who
have come to feel that there has been a
certain loss of beauty in life through the
steady trend of modern thought towards
the secularisation of ethics, which has
come about since the Reformation. a
The balcony of the Court is hung with
rather crudely executed armorial achieve-
ments of the various colonies and pro-
tectorates, reminiscent of the decorations
put up on the occasion of triumphal
pageants. Apart from Mr. Bell's work,
perhaps the most interesting interior
decoration in this building is the frieze
in the room of the Ministry of Agriculture,
which consists of a brightly-coloured

british empire exhibition r r i • i 1

the basilica, s.e. entrance arrangement of figures engaged in thresh-
showing faience roundels ing, tending sheep, and other agricultural
by mrs. p. stabler • mosaic pursuits (with a few panels depicting fish,

dado and faience figure ji t • • 1 t r

of christ by harold stabler no doubt to bring in the second part of

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