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Jul 01

Prinknash Abbey Treasures on show at Simon Chorley Art & Antiques

Date: July 1, 2008

Saturday 9th August-Thursday 14th August 10.00 to 17.00 at Simon Chorley Art & Antiques
A fascinating loan exhibition of ten centuries of monastic treasure gathered over the years by the Benedictine monks at Prinknash Abbey is on show at Simon Chorley, Art & Antiques, Prinknash Abbey Park, Gloucestershire, GL4 8EX. The exhibition will include precious jewellery, textiles, chalices, paintings and furniture. The objects date from the 11th Century to the 20th Century.

The Benedictine Community originally moved to Prinknash Park in 1928 and the exhibition includes three paintings by William Heath Robinson, one of which is called “Mending the roofs of Prinknash Priory.” Leaning out of one of the upper windows in the painting is his son, Dom Basil Heath Robinson, who was not only one of the founders of the Prinknash Pottery but also a gifted stone carver of note. A mid 16th century Limogesenamel chasse

The founder of the community at Prinknash, Abbot Aelred Carlyle, was fascinated by the Arts and Crafts movement and as a result Prinknash has a wonderful collection, some of which will be shown in this exhibition. They also collected further afield and items such as the Blessed Sacrement Lamp and Monstrance made by the Arts and Crafts designer Henry Wilson will also be on display. They will be shown along with the Dom Theodore Blessed Sacrement Canopy, and Tapestries and Weavingss created on their own looms at Prinknash.

The Community has been rich in artistic talent connected with other monastic brother and sisters. Dom Raphael from Prinknash worked with the Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey on designs which showed their very distinctive style of vestments. The Black High Mass set with the Dream of Gerontius tapestries which are in the exhibition are perhaps the shining example. More contemporary vestments, made either at Prinknash or Stanbrook, are also displayed.
Work by Eric Gill, who was also connected with the Community will be in the exhibition as well as the Rothenstein portrait of Abbot Wilfrid ( which usually hangs in the Common Room at Prinknash) are to be exhibited amongst the collections of other items from the Sacristy, including a 16th Century Limoges Reliquary and Alter Missal and silver candle sticks made by Michael Whitmarsh-Everris.