Alexander of Abingdon
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Alexander of Abingdon, also known as Alexander Imaginator or Alexander le Imagineur (i.e. "the image-maker"), was one of the leading
sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
around 1300.


Life

Alexander of Abingdon is assumed to have been from Abingdon, Berkshire, which was something of a centre of stonecutting and masonry. By 1291 he was active in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, where he probably lived for most of his life. In the accounts of the executors of the estate of Queen Eleanor of Castile, Alexander is described as a maker of images ("''le ymagour''"). It seems that this term indicated a maker of statues of human figures carved in the round, rather than a mason working on the general architectural ornament. From 1291 to 1294, he was employed on carving the marble tomb-chest for the bronze effigy of Queen Eleanor of Castile in Lincoln Cathedral. Alexander of Abingdon also supplied wax models for three small images cast by William of Suffolk for Eleanor's heart in the
Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to: England * Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol * Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent * Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...
' church in London. All of these works are now lost. He is last documented in 1316–17, when he was associated with the royal master mason,
Michael of Canterbury Michael of Canterbury (fl. 1275 – 1321) was an English gothic architect responsible for work at Canterbury Cathedral and St Stephen's Chapel, at the Palace of Westminster. He also designed the Cheapside Eleanor Cross. Harvey (1950) credits ...
. It is likely that Alexander and Michael of Canterbury also worked together at Ely Cathedral on the tomb of Bishop
William of Louth William of Louth, also known as William de Luda (died 1298) was a medieval Bishop of Ely. Life William probably was born in Louth, Lincolnshire but his parentage is unknown.Martin "Louth, William of" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' ...
(died 1298), Alexander again being responsible for the effigy.


Work

Alexander of Abingdon's three authenticated sculptures are now on loan to the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
in London. These figures represent Queen Eleanor of Castile and they were carved for the Waltham Cross, one of the twelve monumental " Eleanor crosses" commissioned by her husband, King Edward I, after the Queen's death in
Harby, Nottinghamshire Harby is the easternmost village in the English county of Nottinghamshire. The nearest city is Lincoln, over the border in Lincolnshire. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 336, up from 289 at the 2001 census. Heritage Eleanor o ...
in 1290. These memorials marked the places where Eleanor's body rested for the night on the funerary route to Westminster. On the basis of stylistic similarities, the sculpture of a standing Virgin and Child, acquired by the New York
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in 2003, is also attributed to Alexander of Abingdon. The sculptor's style is characterised by a subtle treatment of draperies, which are both heavy and intricate. There are stylistic affinities between Alexander of Abingdon's figures and the paintings and illuminations in the Westminster style. Abingdon's work has been associated particularly with that of the painter and illuminator, Master Walter of Durham, who was active in the Palace of Westminster and in the
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
and who is also known to have executed work on Queen Eleanor's tomb around 1292. Master Walter might have also done some work for
Abingdon Abbey Abingdon Abbey ( '' " St Mary's Abbey " '' ) was a Benedictine monastery located in the centre of Abingdon-on-Thames beside the River Thames. The abbey was founded c.675 AD in honour of The Virgin Mary. The Domesday Book of 1086 informs ...
. The affinity between Alexander of Abingdon's sculptures and contemporary illuminations assist in locating him within the circle of courtly art.''The Age of Chivalry: Art in Plantagenet England''. Exhibition catalogue, J. J. G. Alexander and P. Binski eds., London, Royal Academy, 1987.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abingdon, Alexander 13th-century English people 14th-century English people People from Abingdon-on-Thames English sculptors English male sculptors 14th-century sculptors People associated with Westminster Abbey 14th-century English artists 13th-century English artists 13th-century sculptors