Winchester College Publication Treausry: Collections Bulletin 2019-2020 | Page 8
OBJECTS IN FOCUS
Sculpture Cataloguing
The College’s various sculptures, widely dispersed around the school, are
perhaps the least well-studied part of the collections. While the figures
and misericords that form part of the original fabric of the College have long
been recognised as among the most important ensembles of late medieval
sculpture in England, the numerous pieces commissioned and acquired in
subsequent centuries have so far received little attention. The recent cataloguing
of our sculptures for the ArtUK project has provided a welcome opportunity
to examine these more closely, a process that has led to some interesting
discoveries and raised questions for future research.
Wax profile of William of Wykeham, late 18th or early
19th century (AS69)
Marble relief of a musical angel, late 15th century (AS102)
Lead cast of a bishop, 17th or 18th century (AS3)
The relief of a musical angel in the Chapel
bell chamber was given to the College in
1938 by the widow of Frederick Leverton
Harris (Chernocke House, 1878–81), a
businessman and Conservative MP. Harris
assembled an important collection of
medieval and Renaissance works of art,
many pieces from which are now in the
Fitzwilliam Museum and the V&A. A
letter from Harris’ widow records that
he purchased the sculpture in Sicily
(perhaps at Palermo, where he is
known to have acquired a marble
Pietà now in Cambridge). The
angel at Winchester appears to date
from the late 1400s. Stylistically, it
is similar to the work of
Domenico Gagini (c. 1425-30–
1492), the leading sculptor in
Palermo at the end of the 15 th
century, but more research is
required before its authorship can be
established.
In November 1762, John Stuart, 3rd Earl
of Bute, wrote to Headmaster Burton
offering to present the College with a
‘Bronze of your great Eminent Founder
William of Wickham’ (left). Bute had
recently been appointed Prime Minister, the
first Tory to hold the post. His son, John, was
a Commoner at Winchester, and Bute gave
the figure ‘to the Gentlemen of that
Society… as a Testimony of the Esteem and
Respect I have for them’. Remarkably, the
College archives contain a copy of part of
the correspondence between Bute and the
dealer from whom he purchased the
sculpture, in which it is described as a
bronze figure of William of Wykeham,
dating from the 14 th century. In fact, the
figure appears to be a lead cast made at a
much later date, and it is doubtful whether
the subject is actually Wykeham; it has no
distinctive features in common with other
representations of the founder.
Another image of the founder, a wax profile
made in the late 18 th or early 19 th century
(above), provided the most exciting
discovery of all. On the reverse is an
inscription by William Wordsworth, which
reads: ‘To the Wintonians / J + Christopher
Inscription on reverse with Wordsworth's signature (AS69)
Wordsworth / from / their affectionate
uncle / Wm Wordsworth / Rydal Mount /
14 September 1822’. John Wordsworth
(1805–39) and Christopher Wordsworth
(1807–85) were the sons of Christopher
Wordsworth (1774–1846), Master of Trinity
College, Cambridge and youngest brother
of William. Christopher became Second
Master at Winchester and later Bishop of
Lincoln. In 1874 he gave the wax to Martin
White Benson (1860–78), a few months
before he entered Winchester. Benson died
of tubercular meningitis at the age of 17,
and there is a memorial brass to him in the
College’s Cloisters.
Richard Foster
To see our sculpture collection online, visit
ArtUK.org.
8 Winchester College Collections 2019 – 20