Design for stained glass window

This watercolour design for a three-light stained glass window almost certainly intended for a late Victorian church was originally, and completely mistakenly, attributed to Edward Burne-Jones. Instead, it is very likely to have come from the studio of a more conventional, mainstream stained glass manufacturer, such as Heaton, Butler and Bayne or Lavers, Barraud and Westlake. The stained glass expert Jim Cheshire notes its partial resemblance to two works by the former firm (email to Mark Stocker, 15 December 2018). The design dates from the broad period 1880-1910. The themes depicted include the Holy Trinity and Christ in Majesty. It was donated to the National Art Gallery in 1957 by Archdeacon Smythe as part of his considerable watercolour collection.

Dr Mark Stocker    Curator, Historical International Art   January 2019