Lady Of Wells Reveals Her Secrets

BBC ^ | 2-19-2006

[blam]

Lady of Wells reveals her secrets

The current bishop wants to restore the throne room

A mysterious medieval wall painting found beneath the floor of the Bishop of Bath and Well's bedroom has given up its secrets. The painting, which shows a partly-clad woman wearing a transparent dress, dates from between 1460 and 1470.

It was part of the decoration of the throne room of Bishop Thomas Beckynton.

Dr Mark Horton, of Bristol University, who researched the painting discovered it is most likely to be part of a scene representing a medieval paradise.

"It was rather like something out of the Da Vinci Code, creeping beneath the bishop's floorboards to come face to face with this incredible piece of medieval art"

Dr Mark Horton

The painting was found by builders three years ago in the space between two floors in the Virgin's Tower next to heating pipes where the whitewash had fallen away.

The key to the identification is a medieval manuscript that shows the actual throne room with the wall paintings accurately depicted.

The manuscript is at Trinity College, Cambridge but a Victorian copy exists in the Special Collections of Bristol University and this shows the playwright Thomas Chaundler presenting one of his plays to Bishop Beckynton in 1460.

Dr Horton said: "The amazing thing is that this medieval manuscript accurately records what was on the wall. This included details of foliage and fruits which we then were able to find behind the heating pipes next to the image of the lady.

"It was rather like something out of the Da Vinci Code, creeping beneath the bishop's floorboards to come face to face with this incredible piece of medieval art."

The discovery has inspired the current Bishop, the Right Rev Peter Price, who lives in the palace, to want to restore the throne room to its former glory with the painted lady in pride of place along with the rest of the earthly garden.

[blam]

Ping.

[Darkwolf377]

Indy 4...

[BlackVeil]

Exquiste art, and I hope that the Bishop does fully restore the room.

Unfortunatly, a lot of images were lost during the English reformation, and so this is all the more valuable.

[starbase]

Unfortunately, a lot of images were lost during the English reformation,

Why? Were they intentionally destroyed?

[Meadow Muffin]

Bush must have done it.

[Brilliant]

Sounds like midieval pornography.

[starbase]

LOL! Chenney shot the art off the wall!

[farmer18th]

This is just another one of those British tabloid page three things, right?

[agrarianlady]

Why? Were they intentionally destroyed?

Oh, my, yes. Google "Dissolution of the Monasteries".

There was Henry VIII who did these things for political reasons and following that the English Civil War and Cromwell who was motivated by his religious beliefs on the matter of icons and other things. (That was a very brief nutshell of an explanation).

[Pharmboy]

Quite a find and most interesting. Thanks for the ping...

[starbase]

[Why? Were they intentionally destroyed?]

Oh, my, yes. Google "Dissolution of the Monasteries".

Well that stinks. I always hate to hear of beautiful art and literature that is destroyed, and in this case so many of the "priceless" monastic libraries were torched!!! There's so much of this destruction throughout history that it's amazing anything survived at all.

Boy, that Henry VIII was a real cur. Is there anything rotten he didn't do? This excerpt below stresses how the Dissolution of the Monasteries resulted in riots, to quell them Henry VIII promised amnesty, then when they stopped rioting Henry executed all the leaders! Was a nasty guy, yet he doesn't seem to be the most hated king in British history. I guess every likes a "winner", a la an Al Capone type. Source

Between 1536 and 1540, Henry dissolved all the monasteries that had not previously been dissolved. This proved very unpopular, as despite individual abuses, monasteries still played a major role both in the spiritual life of the population and in local economies. Furthermore, it led to exaggerated rumours that Henry intended to despoil the parish churches and to tax cattle and sheep.

As a result, in 1536 there were major risings in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (30,000 strong) and, in 1537, a further rising in Norfolk. The rebels called for an end to the dissolution of the monasteries, for the removal of Cromwell, for the restoration of papal authority and for the Catholic Mary Tudor to be named as successor.

Henry's promise of pardon and concessions led the rebels to disband, but the king reneged on his promise and the rebel leaders were executed in 1537. Waltham Abbey was the last monastery to be dissolved in March 1540.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam. Just adding this to the GGG catalog, not sending a general distribution.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

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[agrarianlady]

Boy, that Henry VIII was a real cur. Is there anything rotten he didn't do?

At the time, there was a problem of power. The Church in Rome had an awful lot of it, and Henry wanted it. And remember that beginning with Henry VIII's reign the Renaissance brought so much to culture. A lot of good came out of his reign, and even more out of his daughter Elizabeth's. But he was quite fond of beheading everyone, and completely self-indulgent. It's difficult to find Monarchs who aren't, which is why we have this forum in the first place.

[SunkenCiv]

more medieval art news from England:

Archangel sculpture rises from Lichfield nave
Maev Kennedy
Monday February 20, 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,,1713978,00.html?gusrc=rss