Recording angels

Opaque glass mosaic, designed by William Blake Richmond, executed by Messrs Powell of Whitefriars, completed by 1893



This is one of a pair of mosaics flanking the central figure of Christ in Majesty. Both mosaics illustrate the last judgement as described in the Book of Revelation. The brief note in the biblical book is embellished borrowing from Jewish sources, in particular the Book of Malachi, in which angels are described as recorders of every human deed and prayer. This mosaic represents the angels awaiting those who are welcomed into Heaven. When looking at these two mosaics, it is worth keeping in mind how these angels fit into the overall concept of angels around the quire: angels are the dominant element of the scheme, and form a link between scenes taken from the Old Testament to those from the New testament, as in this case: the apocalypse.



Brief description: located on the North side of the apse; a crowned standing angel with four wings is the main figure of this symmetrical composition; four angels surround this main angel, who is dressed in a patterned dalmatic and raises his hands upwards; an angels stands on either side of him, each holding a small crown in front of them; the front angels are seated and support a long narrow scroll, listing the names of those welcomed into Heaven.



Related quotes: Account 1896, 6: “On the north side an angel stands erect, beckoning, with two other angels, carrying crowns; at their feet, arranged as so to occupy the difficult space round the head of the window, are two angels supporting the scroll which represents the book of life (Revelation xx.12) [...] The central angels in these panels are the nearest approach in Mr Richmond’s work to the Byzantine stiffness of some of the earliest mosaics, the object being to produce a strong contrast with the Figure in the central panel.”



Related work elsewhere: Edward Burne-Jones, designs for Salviati mosaics in Saint Paul’s Within the Walls, Rome, 1885-1894 (Burr 2008, pp. 64-69)



Literature and references: Browne 1896, p. 6; Reynolds 1995, p. 259, Zech 2015, p. 41.