Overview

This module will examine some of the surviving iconographic schemes in the Minster, looking not just at the stained glass, but at the remaining medieval sculpture and monumental paintings so as to give as comprehensive a view as possible of the imagery in the Minster. The imagery, however, cannot be understood in isolation from the building, so we will also have to consider the architectural development and functions of the different parts of the building, starting with the earliest standing fabric, viz the transepts and the Chapter House. While following a broad chronological outline, we shall focus on material which exemplifies the great variety of imagery, both religious, and secular, within the Minster; and we shall be able to draw on literature which ranges from early antiquarian sources up to a number of very recent studies. The art and imagery of the Minster will also be considered in relation to other contemporary schemes both at home and abroad. Seminars will be conducted both in the building and in the class-room and we will take full advantage of current conservation projects in order to gain privileged access to some of the Minster’s most extraordinary treasures.

Preliminary Reading

G. Aylmer and R. Cant, eds., A History of York Minster (Oxford, 1977)

S. Brown, Stained Glass at York Minster (London, 1999)

S. Brown, Our Magnificent Fabrick: York Minster, An Architectural History
c. 1220-1500 (Swindon, 2003)

C. Norton, Richard Scrope and York Minster, in P.J.P. Goldberg, ed, Richard Scrope, Archbishop, Rebel, Martyr (Donington, 2007), 138-213.