The Painters and Carvers of Angels
Medieval Art and Craft in Norfolk.
In medieval times the North Sea and English Channel were not seen as barriers but
as major highways, not only for commerce but for art and craft. Norwich was the
second most important city in England and Norfolk wool provided its wealth. The
Norwich Guilds and Workshops welcomed artists and crafts people from across
Europe. It is possible that the decoration of Norfolk’s magnificent medieval churches
and their artefacts, were carried out by people from Flanders, The Netherlands,
Germany and further afield,as well as native English artists.
King’s Lynn ( Bishop’s Lynn in medieval times), was a member of the Hanseatic
League, an important port and also used by pilgrims to the famous shrine at
Walsingham. Domestic architecture demonstrates strong Dutch links and later Dutch
engineers and horticulturalists contributed to the commerce of the county.
Art Alive believes that it is important that not only local Norfolk people appreciate this
history and its heritage but that visitors to the county also. Some of our medieval
churches are of national and international importance and more needs to be made
of this.
So in 2012 Art Alive in Churches will continue its aims of:
1. Reviving interest in the rich cultural heritage and history that is shown in
Norfolk’s medieval churches. Many of these churches survived The
Reformation, and other periods of iconoclasm.
2. Alerting the public to the urgent need for more heritage artists and crafts
people for maintenance and restoration of Norfolk’s important heritage
buildings.
Programme:
Art Alive will mount an exhibition, ‘The Painters and Carvers of Angels’,
demonstrating examples of angels on painted rood screens and carvings of angels
in wood, stone and marble, to entice the visitor to the churches and to demonstrate
the high standard of art and craft from medieval to 20th century in Norfolk The
photographs are taken especially for the exhibitions by Paul Hurst ARPS.
Demonstrations of the art of carving in wood, stone and marble in selected churches
will coincide with the exhibition and show the importance of artefacts as part of
church heritage.
The main exhibition will take place in The Narthex, The Cathedral of St John the
Baptist, Norwich from June 11th – 16th/17th. The exhibition will then become a
travelling one and be taken to All Saints, King’s Lynn as part of the King’s Lynn
Festival July15th -28th. It will then move to St Catherine’s Ludham for Open
Churches Week August 4th -12th.
During the week-end of June 16th-17th there will be workshops in 3-5 churches as
practical demonstrations of the art of carving in the three media. Additonally it is
possible to have carving workshops at Ludham and King’s Lynn contiguous with the
exhibition.
Research is now required to see If links can be found beween the art on the painted
screens and in the carvings and Netherlandish art of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Were artists travelling from Continental Europe and coming to the Norwich
workshops? Was there traffic the other way as well? What about other things such
as pattern making and using, the mixing of paints and where the raw materials were
coming from?
Arrt Alive would like to develop links with Haarlem and Ghent, both of which have
current day Norwich links, so that the travelling exhibition could go to these cities
possibly Autumn 2012 or Spring 2013 depending on funding.
Jennie Hawks
Historic Places of Worship Support Officer and Art Alive Co-ordinator.
Art Alive in Churches
Code no: 012/3401
A. For The Painters and Carvers of Angels
Income
£'s
Expenditure
£'s
Main Exhibition venue:
Main exhibition at The Cathedral of St John the Baptist
Hire and other costs: Hire of Norfolk Room £100 pd
Launch drinks and nibbles
Notes
600 1 week
200
Other venues:
All Saints King's Lynn, St Catherine's Ludham. Hire &
other costs x2
Craft demonstrations:
Knapton craft demonstration: Venue costs
Church x craft demonstration Venue costs
Church y demonstration venue costs
500 1 week
100 2 week-ends only
100 2 week-ends only
100 2 week-ends only
Artists costs:
Artists in 5 churches @ 150 pd
Materials costs for artists
Additional exhibition costs:
Display Units
Photography
Leaflet design and production
PR and Media: Isis Communications @ £300 pd
3,000 2 week-ends
2,500
200
700
1,000
600 2 days
Total to date:
9,600
Income
Diocese of Norwich Mission Fund
878
Funding to date
878