O Ye Beasts and Cattle Bless Ye the Lord (left-hand side of main door) and O Ye Whales and All that Move in the Waters Bless Ye the Lord (right-hand side of main door), by George Heywood Sumner (1853-1940). Two of the series, linked by another scene over the door itself, commissioned by the Reverend William John Coussmaker in 1888 as a memorial to his wife. St Mary the Virgin, Llanfair Kilgeddin, Monmouthshire. Photograph and text by Michael Statham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Closer view of left-hand side and door sgraffiti
Sumner’s sgraffito panels provide the decorative scheme of the whole church. The theme of all the panels is the Benedicite, the hymn of praise to God for his creation. As Peter Knight suggests, "There is nothing dogmatic, overstressed or dismal about the scenes; they are uplifting, guiltless and surround a small space with joyous material for quiet reflection" (23). Of the four main panels in the nave, the scene on the left features grazing sheep behind which a man and a team of horses plough a field. It also features woodland and birds in flight: it is a gentle, bucolic scene. The scene on the right is livelier: it features a pair of walruses on a rock in the foreground; leaping dolphins and a whale breaking the surface of the sea; and, over the door itself, numerous seabirds flying around the sky: "All Ye Fowls of the Air, Bless Ye the Lord." This is a celebration of God through animal life. The last part of each verse reads, throughout, "Praise Him amd Magnify Him Forever."
Link to related material
- Three Benedicite Windows, St Peter's Church, Staines, by Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne (a different treatment of the theme in a different medium)
Bibliography
Knight, Malcolm Peter. The Sgraffito of Heywood Sumner (1853–1940). MSc Thesis University of Liverpool. 30 April 2021. Two Volumes. Available online at the University of Liverpool Repository.
Created 11 December 2022