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Roland and Crusade Imagery in an English Royal Chapel: early thirteenth-century wall paintings in Claverley church, Shropshire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2012

Christopher Barrett
Christopher Barrett*
Affiliation:
Christopher Barrett, Old Police House, Lower Brailes, Banbury OX15 5HW, UK. Email: christopher_barrett2@hotmail.com
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Abstract

A frieze of mounted knights, over 15m long, dominates the nave of the church of All Saints, Claverley, Shropshire. It is part of an extensive mural scheme from the first quarter of the thirteenth century. For the first time the status of Claverley as a Royal Chapel is recognized and the royal and crusading character of the imagery is discussed. The emperors Constantine and Heraclius are identified as part of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross subject on the north wall, and the Holy Cross is suggested as the unifying theme, pre-dating the Florentine mural cycle by Agnolo Gaddi by some 170 years. Claverley is also shown to have the only medieval mural of Roland, hero of the Chanson de Roland, to survive in situ. The historical background of the early years of Henry iii is examined and the possible role of Ranulf de Blondeville, earl of Chester, in commissioning the frieze is considered.

Résumé

Cette frise de chevaliers sur leur monture, longue de plus de 15 m, domine la nef de l’église All Saints, à Claverley, dans le Shropshire. Elle fait partie d'un ensemble mural étendu du premier quart du XIIIe siècle. Pour la première fois, le statut de chapelle royale de Claverley est reconnu et le caractère royal et de croisade de l'imagerie est abordé. Les empereurs Constantin et Héraclius sont identifiés dans le sujet de l'Exaltation de la Sainte Croix, sur le mur nord. La Sainte Croix est suggérée comme thème unificateur, précédant le cycle mural florentin d'Agnolo Gaddi de quelque 170 années. Claverley est également connu comme possédant la seule fresque murale médiévale de Roland, héros de la Chanson de Roland, à survivre in situ. Le contexte historique des premières années du règne d'Henry III est examiné, ainsi que le rôle éventuel de Ranulf de Blondeville, comte de Chester, dans la commande de la frise.

Zusammenfassung

Das Hauptschiff der All Saints Kirche in Claverley, Shropshire, wird beherrscht von einem mehr als 15m langen Fries mit Rittern zu Pferde. Er ist Teil eines umfangreichen Wandgemäldes aus dem ersten Viertel des 13. Jahrhunderts. Es wird hier erstmals der Status der Claverley Kirche als Royal Chapel (Königliche Kapelle) anerkannt und die Bildersprache der Kreuzritter-Thematik besprochen. In der Darstellung der Kreuzerhöhung an der Nordwand werden die Kaiser Konstantin und Herakleios identifiziert und es wird auf das Heilige Kreuz als verbindendes Thema hingewiesen, womit diese Darstellung dem florentinischen Wandgemäldezyklus von Agnolo Gaddi um rund 170 Jahre zeitlich vorangeht. Zudem wird gezeigt, dass Claverley über das einzige mittelalterliche Wandgemälde mit einer Darstellung des Helden Roland aus dem Chanson de Roland verfügt, das bis heute in situ erhalten ist. Die historischen Hintergründe aus den frühen Jahren Heinrichs III. werden untersucht, sowie die Rolle, die der Earl of Chester, Ranulf de Blondeville, bei der Beauftragung des Frieses gehabt haben mag.

Type
Research papers
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 92 , September 2012 , pp. 129 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 2012

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