East window, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral 2019

John William Brown (1842–1928) was an English painter and stained glass designer. He was employed by Morris & Co. and later by

James Powell and Sons The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were London-based English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained glass window manufacturers. As ''Whitefriars Glass'', the company existed from the 17th century, but became well k ...

, before he became a freelance designer, when he continued to undertake commissions for Powell's. His major works include the

Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as ...

windows and the east window of

Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool, and the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. It may be referred to as the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool (as recorded in th ...

Biography

Brown was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

in 1842, and he trained as an artist under William Bell Scott, a friend of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

. In the late 1860s he moved to London and worked with Morris & Co. In 1874 he joined

where he became a stained glass designer. He was also a painter whose works were in the style of the Aesthetic movement. Brown left Powell's in 1886 to work freelance, but he continued to be their preferred designer for important projects. He continued to produce designs for Powell's up to 1923, but in the later part of his career most of his work was carried out for

Henry Holiday Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was a British historical genre and landscape painter, stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He is part of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art. Life Early years and training Holiday was born ...

. Towards the end of his life his eyesight deteriorated, and he died in 1928.

Works

Liverpool Cathedral

In 1907 the competition to design the first stained glass windows for

was won by Powell's, and Brown was commissioned to design them. The first part of the cathedral to be built was the Lady Chapel and, as the chapel was dedicated to St Mary, the designs reflect the part that women have played in the history of Christianity. On the staircase leading from the chapel to the main body of the cathedral are windows known as the 'Noble Women' windows that honour the contribution of women to society. In 1921 Brown went on to design the large east window of the cathedral, which rises above its reredos. The design of the window is based on the theme of the ''

Te Deum laudamus The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...

'', with the risen Christ at the top, and below are four windows each representing one of the communities praising God.

Elsewhere

Other designs by Brown in Northwest England include windows in

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint ...

(1921) and its

Refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the Lat ...

(c. 1913), and ''

opus sectile ''Opus sectile'' is a form of pietra dura popularized in the ancient and medieval Roman world where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. Common materials were marble, mother of pearl, and glass. T ...

'' panels in

Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery The Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery is the local museum service for the borough of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. It is a museum with collections of Christian icons, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and local history, as well as those of the for ...

. He also designed windows in churches in Sussex.

Notes

References

Citations Sources * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, John William 1842 births 1928 deaths 19th-century English painters 20th-century English painters Artists from Newcastle upon Tyne British stained glass artists and manufacturers English male painters 20th-century English male artists 19th-century English male artists