Flying apart
I have known and been familiar with the Breedon Angel in the Priory Church of St. Mary and St. Hardulph since childhood. The church is spectacularly situated atop Breedon Hill. A prominent limestone knoll that rises 122 metres (400 ft) above the surrounding landscape. The church sits on what was once an Iron Age Hill Fort making it visible for miles around and giving it extensive panoramic views in all directions.
The angel is a significant piece of Mercian art being the oldest surviving stone carving of an angel in Britain. It is an incredible 1200 years old and the result of what was once a flourishing Mercian monastery at Breedon-on-the-Hill. The church has a huge number of Anglo-Saxon sculptures including various figures "fantastical beasts" and grotesque animals running around friezes, and if you look carefully you can find tiny devils peeping out from mortar joints. All of the stone Anglo Saxon carvings that we see inside the church today were originally located around the exterior of the building, but thankfully moved inside during the medieval period.
The Breedon Angel
This stone carved angel represents a not too happy looking Archangel Gabriel depicted within an arched opening. He is covered in formal robes, the body being subtly contoured to suggest movement, seemingly "stepping out of the frame". One hand holds a cross-headed staff, while the other is raised in a distinctive blessing gesture in the Byzantine style, which highlights potential links between Mercia and the Eastern Mediterranean. At the figure's feet are two flowering plants. The sculpture is carved in limestone, and traces of paint have been found on the wings. It is generally very well preserved having been incorporate into the interior walls of the churches bell-ringing tower during the medieval period. The angels age and rarity makes the statue priceless so the original carving is now no longer accessible to the public - it is firmly locked away behind a door. However, an exact replica is on display within the church. Made in 2001, using modern processes that involved 3D laser scanning of the original statue, the replica can now be viewed in the south aisle of the church thus allowing visitors to see this important artwork.
Coming together
In 2003 an event occurred which adds some new interesting information to the fascination of the Breedon Angel. During archaeological excavations in the nave of Litchfield Cathedral, construction workers were removing the floor when they discovered an 8th C Anglo-Saxon limestone panel broken into three pieces beneath it. At the time that it was hidden beneath the floor the pieces had been carefully placed face downwards, thus preserving the remnants of the original Saxon paint. The excavation was part of a project to prepare for a new retractable platform in the cathedral's nave.
The Litchfield Angel
The Litchfield angel also represents Archangel Gabriel, but with a smile on his face. The sculpture is remarkably preserved having been protected from weathering and potential destruction for 1000 years thus allowing traces of its original paint to survive, which is rare. It reveals that vibrant colours were used having details such as a red robe, red and white wings, and a white halo edged in ochre.
The sculpture is thought to have been deliberately broken up and interred in a shallow pit sometime before the end of the 9th century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that in 910 the Northumbrian Viking army ravaged over Mercia. The cathedral at Lichfield was despoiled, suggesting it was a target for the Vikings seeking portable wealth, such as gold, silver and other valuable goods.
Perhaps you have a "Litchfield Angel" rose growing in your garden, but did you know that Nursery man David Austin named the rose to honour the Litchfield Angel?
These are my own thoughts re: the similarities between the two angels.
By road today Litchfield to Breedon entails a 40 mile road journey, but 1200 years ago "as the crow flies" Litchfield was a 20 mile brisk days walk uphill and down dale from Breedon.
Were the two angels carved by the same stone mason? or maybe another carver saw the Breedon angel and copied it. To me the stylistic similarities between the two carvings, dating to the same period, strongly suggests a shared artistic context and potentially the same stonemason's hand or workshop.
All new information to me and a great view from that hill. Always puzzles me about the Viking age in films where they always show the Vikings coming from steep savage mountains (Norway) whereas the east coast of England was under Danelaw which would suggest most arrived from flat Demark. Suggesting a lot of visual history, ingrained in most folks perception, is distorted. They do the same thing with William Wallace and Robert The Bruce, always a Highland mountain backdrop yet lowland, Scottish central belt born and mostly based there. Bob.
ReplyDeleteThere is much that we do not know or really understand about the far distant past. May be that is why some of us find it really intriguing.
DeleteA wonderful post and I agree the similarities are remarkable. How lovely to have an idea of the paint colours too. So many parts of our churches were painted back in the day. It would have been a very colourful place to worship. B x
ReplyDeleteTwelve hundred years ago when these angels were carved used to be referred to as "the Dark Ages". However, the Anglo Saxon were extremely sophisticated. They are now known for advanced metal work - eg the treasures from Sutton Hoo, complex farming, developing bureaucracy (taxation and coinage). Impressive craftsmanship in jewellery, woodwork, and stone, etc which all challenges those "Dark Age" myths.
DeleteLovely to have a post from you again, Rosemary! And what a treasure those two angels are, with their fascinating history and appearance. What caught my eye immediately were the blessing gestures of their right hands, so similar to Hindu/Buddhist mudra gestures, yes, probably via Byzantine art and iconography. The links and "cross-fertilization" between distant cultures via trade, warfare and exploration in former times can be quite startling sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThank you Debra - sadly my regular blogging days are now done and dusted. However, I will endeavour to pop in here from time to time.
DeleteThroughout history humans have always had the desire to explore and discover. However, the motivations have now shifted from basic survival to exploration, trade, pilgrimage, and now leisure.
Amazing story about the carvings, I'm still knocked out when I come across a tomb effigy with paint on them but seeing a 1200 year old carving is a treat
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to believe that these angels are 1200 years old - we tend to think in terms of going back to 1066 as being a long time back for buildings and artifacts, but these two angel statues are 200 years pre-conquest. The fact that they have survived so well is wonderful.
DeleteWhat wonderful carvings and history. I very much appreciate this information on the Litchfield Angel and its brother as I do have a David Austin Litchfield Angel rose in my garden. It blooms prolifically throughout the summer and has a faint fragrance.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to discover if, in fact, the two carvings were made by the same person. It's so nice that some of the original paint is preserved, as well.
Lovely to see a post from you, Rosemary.
I am sure that you will appreciate your rose even more having seen this wonderful stone carved 1200 year old angel.
DeleteI am convinced that both statues must have come from the same hand or workshop. The Litchfield angel has spent it's whole life indoors, much of the time hidden away in darkness. However, the Breedon angel lived for 200 years outside, being exposed to storms, tempests, and many hands making the angels details smoother and not so detailed. Both angels were separated by a mere 20 miles.
Hello Rosemary, Those angels Gabriel are remarkable survivals. I just spent some time looking at hundreds of photos of Gabriel carvings, and, as you indicated, these two Gabriels are very similar to each other, yet different from the other extant examples. The Breedon angel seems less aerodynamic, but perhaps the feathers at the top of his wings were painted in rather than carved. Also, the surrounding carvings in their original contexts might have influenced the details in these two. Speaking of Litchfield, I just bought a rare 1880's milk bottle from Litchfield, Connecticut. While not as old as the Litchfield Gabriel, at least it is not broken into pieces!
ReplyDelete--Jim
Hello Jim - thank you for your comment. Following in your footsteps I too have just looked at other images of Gabriel all of which have no resemblance to my Breedon or Litchfield Angels.
DeleteI think that I will stick to angels from Litchfield UK rather than milk bottles from Litchfield Connecticut, but nevertheless well done for finding a rare one.
Lovely to see and read this post from you.
ReplyDeleteQuite fascinating, thank you.
David Austin roses are just so beautiful and I didn't know that about the "Litchfield Angel" rose.
All the best Jan
Something has happened to my mojo of late and inspiration has left me, but I loved hearing from you Jan - thank youX
DeleteIt's good to hear from you Rosemary. A very interesting post, I like history and architecture. It's impressive how well preserved these carvings are, and testament to the skills of their creators. The different hand gestures are fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit Polly.
DeleteThe Byzantine hand blessing is a specific gesture that simultaneously spells out "Jesus Christ" in Greek letters to symbolise core Christian beliefs.
With the right hand, the fingers are arranged:
Index finger straight ("I" for Iesous/Jesus).
Middle finger curved ("C" for Christos/Christ).
Thumb and ring finger touching ("X" for Christos/Christ).
Pinky finger curved ("C" Jesus).
This configuration also represents the Holy Trinity (three separate fingers) and Christ's dual divine and human natures (the combined fingers).
This is something that I did not personally know, but an explanation found for me by AI on the computer!
Thank you Rosemary. I like technology but I haven't tried AI yet!
DeleteI had my computer updated a couple of months ago, but didn't ask for it or even know it was available. But a few days ago AI suddenly appeared on it. It is quite extraordinary - you can ask it anything you want to know - then a new page pops up which says "thinking"......... and suddenly everything you have asked is answered or explained.
DeleteThat is fascinating indeed, Rosemary. Very old and a good find.
ReplyDeleteGood to see a post from you.
Just popped in briefly Margaret but thank you.
Delete1200 hundred years is hard to conceive in terms of just how exquisite the angels still are.