Britain's Medieval Episcopal Thrones
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Britain's Medieval Episcopal Thrones by Charles Tracy
This book is the first major investigation of a subject of seminal importance in the study of church history and archaeology. The two stone thrones, at Wells and Durham, the three timber monuments, at Exeter, St Davids and Hereford, and the mid-14th-century bishop's chair at Lincoln, all come under a searching empirical enquiry.The Exeter throne is the largest and most impressive in Europe. It is a distinguished innovatory example of the English Decorated style, with antecedents passing back to the court of Edward I. It exemplifies most of the historical and formal strands that suffuse the entire book- visual appearance, distinctiveness within the building, prestige, construction, stylistic context, finance, and the patronage and personal role of the bishop himself; as well as the subtler issues of the personal and collective politics of bishop and chapter, the monument's liturgical applications, its relationship with the cathedral's relics, its symbolism and what it tells us about the aspirations of the institution within the existing ecclesiastical hierarchy.The thrones also reveal much about the personal circumstances of an individual bishop, and where he stood on the scale of a good diocesan on the one hand, and ambitious politician on the other, as exemplified at Exeter and Durham.The text is by the art historian, Dr Charles Tracy, a seasoned expert on church furniture both in Britain and on the continent of Europe. The chapter on the stone thrones was prepared by Andrew Budge who is currently preparing a Ph.D thesis on 'English Chantry Churches' at Birkbeck College. The polychromy authority, Eddie Sinclair, spent many hours on the scaffold to bring forward her remarkable report on the Exeter throne. Her full report is to be published online.The Exeter throne is also interpreted by the established timber conservation practitioner, Hugh Harrison, and the St Davids throne by the experienced draughtsman, Peter Ferguson. In an age of the CAD, his meticulous measured drawings of the Exeter and St Davids monuments are one of the most remarkable features of book. The architect, Paul Woodfield prepared the drawings for the Lincoln chair.
This is the first book to examine the medieval episcopal thrones that survive from the fourteenth century in BritainThe strength of this book is that a number of scholars and their expertise have been brought together to document and research a particular time period and its unique products.. * The Medieval Review *
This elegant study...offers an immense wealth of data... * Medieval Archaeology *
These remarkable symbols of episcopal authority, effectively imposing even when the bishop was not present, have now been given the extensive consideration that they so richly deserve in a book that is handsomely complemented by high-quality illustrations, many in colour, with each throne fully analysed and interpreted in meticulous, annotated measured drawings by Peter Ferguson. * The Burlington Magazine *
This elegant study...offers an immense wealth of data... * Medieval Archaeology *
These remarkable symbols of episcopal authority, effectively imposing even when the bishop was not present, have now been given the extensive consideration that they so richly deserve in a book that is handsomely complemented by high-quality illustrations, many in colour, with each throne fully analysed and interpreted in meticulous, annotated measured drawings by Peter Ferguson. * The Burlington Magazine *
Dr Charles Tracy is a leading scholar on the history and development of medieval British church furniture. He has published widely in article and book form on British and European monuments, from choir-stalls, screens, pulpits, benches, lecterns and episcopal thrones. When he began, woodwork studies were pretty much in abeyance. Today they are attracting the interest of research students as well as the general public. Andrew Budge interrupted a career in project management to undertake a BA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute between 1999 and 2002. Following his Masters at Oxford, he is now engaged on a PhD at Birkbeck College, University of London on collegiate churches and the causes of change in architectural style in the fourteenth century.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781782977827 |
| ISBN 10 | 1782977821 |
| Title | Britain's Medieval Episcopal Thrones |
| Author | Charles Tracy |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Oxbow Books |
| Year published | 2015-01-30 |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |