Window with Two Roundels and Ornament from Christ Church Cathedral, Canterbury, "St. Stephen Disputing with Jews", "The Last Judgement" (Primary Title)
Window with two roundels and ornament, "St. Stephen Disputing with Jews", "The Last Judgement" (Former Title)
Unknown (Artist)
This brilliantly colored window is among the earliest and most outstanding examples of medieval English stained glass in the United States. Originally these medallions were installed in two separate locations in the cathedral, which was an important pilgrimage shrine housing the remains of St. Thomas à Becket. The upper, later roundel represents the Last Judgment, in which the seated Christ is flanked by His heavenly retinue. The lower, less serene scene probably depicts St. Stephen disputing with the Jews.
The window as we see it today was assembled ca. 1900 by Samuel Caldwell, Jr., then glazier to Canterbury Cathedral. Most of the heads in the roundels are modern; the decorative field in which the medallions are situated is also modern. The central sections of the top and bottom borders are medieval glass taken from other windows at Canterbury.
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