The Tree of Jesse, by Morris & Co.. This is the east window of Richard Norman Shaw's All Saints, Leek, with its lovely branching tracery drawn up by William Lethaby, then Shaw's chief assistant. In front of it, and hiding the very lowest part of it, is Lethaby's reredos. The subject harmonises well with the wall-painting in the chancel, in which also the Tree of Life appears as an actual tree. In the central light of the tracery is Christ in Majesty, and at the centre of the many figures in the whole nine-light window is the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus. Around are angels, Biblical figures from the Old and New Testaments, including symbols of the gospel-writers, and natural scenes of leaves, the sun and moon, sea, and so on. Many of the figures look like designs from Edward Burne-Jones, whose stained-glass cartoons continued to be used by the Morris company long after his death. According to the listing text, this marvellous window dates to 1923.

Photograph taken and kindly sent in by Michael Critchlow. Text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. [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 UR or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Related Material

Sources

"Parish Church of All Saints, Leek." British Listed Buildings. Web. 15 November 2015.

Pevsner, Nikolaus. The Buildings of England: Staffordshire. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002.

Rubens, Godfrey. William Richard Lethaby: His Life and Work. 1857-1931. London: The Architectural Press, 1986.


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Created 17 November 2015