This window in the North transept of Great Malvern Priory was a gift from Henry VII in 1501. Containing scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary ⓘ and the life of Christ., it is known as the Magnificat window because it contains the Song of Mary from Luke 1:46-55.
16th-century wall monuments (c. 1500–1600) emerge as an increasingly important form of commemoration. Tablets and architectural plaques reflect Renaissance influence and Protestant sensibilities, favoring inscription, genealogy, and heraldry over sculptural imagery.
In the 16th century (c. 1500–1600), church monuments transitioned from late Gothic to Renaissance styles amid the Reformation (1530s onward). Brasses dominated for the middle classes; alabaster tombs for elites. Meanwhile religious upheaval reduced overt Catholic imagery.
This scene depicting the Coronation of the Virgin forms part of the Magnificat Window of 1501 in the north transept of Great Malvern Priory and extends across three lights, emphasising both its theological importance and its visual prominence within the wider glazing scheme. The subject, drawn from late medieval Marian devotion, celebrates Mary’s exaltation in heaven following her Assumption, a theme closely aligned with the Magnificat’s emphasis on humility rewarded by divine grace.
16th-century brasses (c. 1500–1600) represent the final and most accomplished phase of English memorial engraving. Larger and more elaborate than earlier examples, they commemorate clergy, professionals, and merchants, recording Tudor dress, social aspiration, and changing religious beliefs shaped by the Reformation.
Agnès Sorel (d1450) was the mistress of King Charles VII of France to whom she gave birth to three daughters to Charles VII.
This chantry chapel ⓘ to Arthur Tudor, covered in tracery and sculptures, was built in 1504. The chest tomb of the 15 year old Prince fills the chapel.
Monumental brass dedicated to William Thorpe (d1504) and his wife Marion. Two figures 2ft 1in in height, with scrolls and inscription.
The Tomb of the Children of France is a traditionally attributed to Michel Colombe ⓘ (c. 1430–1515), one of the foremost French sculptors of the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods, and is widely regarded as one of Michel Colombe’s most touching and refined works.
This Tree of Jesse in the church of St Godard Rouen, is the work of Arnoult de Nimégue (1506).
This window forms part of the late-medieval glazing cycle devoted to St Austremoine (St Austremonius), traditionally regarded as one of the missionary bishops sent from Rome to evangelise Gaul. The panels adopt the rich narrative style characteristic of Rouen workshops in the early sixteenth century, combining brightly modelled figures, deep architectural canopies, and landscape backdrops that open the narratives into broad, coherent sequences.
The south aisle of the nave at Saint-Ouen preserves one of the most varied yet coherent hagiographic ensembles in the church’s glazing programme. Although the windows today comprise mixtures of sixteenth-century fragments, nineteenth-century architectural refitting, and extensive twentieth-century restoration, they collectively articulate a single, sustained theme: the commemoration of exemplary saints whose lives, virtues, and martyrdoms offered models for Christian devotion.
This window (c1508) depicts key moments from the life and martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria, a learned noblewoman whose legend was widely celebrated in late-medieval Europe. The glazing, produced by a Rouen workshop in the early sixteenth century, follows the characteristic format of the Saint-Ouen cycles: tightly framed narrative scenes beneath elaborate Gothic canopies, enriched with vivid colour and detailed architectural settings.
This image shows the Virgin and Child of Chartres Cathedral, commonly known as the Black Madonna of Chartres (Notre-Dame du Pilier). It is one of the most venerated Marian sculptures in France and a central focus of devotion within the cathedral. It was commissioned in 1508 as a black wooden copy of the 13th century silver Madonna that stood on the main altar at Chartres Cathedral.
This window narrates episodes from the apocryphal infancy cycle concerning St Anne and St Joachim, parents of the Virgin Mary ⓘ. Executed in the early sixteenth century by a Rouen workshop, the glass combines dense architectural canopies with clear, compartmentalised scenes, allowing the viewer to follow the story across multiple lights.
Polychriome reliefs telling the story of St James the Greater, and the conversion of Philetus and Hermogenes. Amiens Cathedral 1511.
Started in 1515, and completed in 1525, this tomb is the work of the Roullant Le Roux, Rouen cathedral's master mason of the time. It is a memorial to the French cardinal and archbishop of Rouen George d'Amboise (d1510), the other figure is his nephew George d'Amboise (d1550) who became archbishop of Rouen on his uncle's death.
This tomb in the South choir contains the effigy of Bishop Richard Mayew (d1516) under an elaborate canopy, and with weepers ⓘ around the base. The weepers are thought to represent saints and were damaged during the reformation.
Above the choir screen at Chartres Cathedral are some 40 sculpted reliefs of biblical scenes, and other scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary ⓘ. The scenes were sculpted by some of the best artists in France and were commissioned at different times over a 200 year period from 1510 to 1720.
Brass of Thomas Knightley (1516).
