9 Dec 2015

Visitation - Great Witley, Worcestershire

Submitted by walwyn
01/1719 to 12/1719

This window, by Joshua Price, shows the meeting of the Virgin Mary and her cousin Saint Elizabeth, rendered with the rich colour and strong modelling characteristic of early 18th-century English stained glass influenced by continental painting. Price’s panel, signed and dated 1719, follows an Italian compositional model, evident in the theatrical gestures, monumental drapery, and architectural backdrop. The figures are arranged on the steps of a classical porch, Mary approaching from the right while Elizabeth leans forward in greeting. Secondary attendants and Joseph occupy the flanking spaces, and the lower register retains lively incidental detail, including the donkey from Mary’s journey. The work belongs to the distinguished glazing scheme commissioned for Great Witley, notable for its ambitious adoption of Baroque pictorial style in glass.