08) The Hyde Abbey Triptych
The inspiration for this artwork is not really religious, well not directly anyway, but the archaeological rediscovery of some fragments of the Monastery of Hyde Abbey, Winchester found in my own back garden. The focus of the work is the two community digs undertaken by Hyde 900, part of an ongoing project to try to understand what the Monastery might have looked like before its dissolution and ultimate destruction by Henry VIII in 1538.
About the artwork.
Front panels 23 carat gold leaf with two acrylic on aluminium panels. Stone and pottery fragments inset from the dig
Inside panels in egg tempura on aluminium over a gesso ground with some pigments derived from stone and other artefacts found during the dig
Rear panel oil on aluminium over a gesso ground
This artwork takes the form of a Triptych a form of Religious painting popular in the 12th - 13th and 14th century and would have been the sort of artwork seen in religious houses of the medieval period. Many were seen as travelling alter pieces and depicted the lives of saints or stories from the bible or the life of Jesus.
The artwork depicts the dig and includes characters inspired by many of the people directly involved in the project including Dr John Crook, David Spurling, Dr Martin Biddle and many others including myself.
The artwork depicts the rediscovery of some important fragments of the Monastery cloister and imagines the reconstruction part of the Abbey cloister, with considerable artistic license of course, and reflects the artistic style of the period when the Abbey was at the height of its power. The side panels show the discovery of the stones from the medieval cloister in a modern setting and tell the story of the archaeological dig itself all undertaken in the back gardens – and specifically my back garden in Hyde.
On the left we see the discovery of the stones from the medieval cloister arcade. On the right we see the lead archaeologist recording the stratification of the excavated foundations of what is believed to be the refectory of the abbey, here he is surrounded by the paraphernalia of the archaeologist.
The central panel is a fantastical re-imagining of the rebirth of the abbey cloister showing a stonemason placing the voussiors over the stone abaci and decorated capitals that once would have adorned the cloister arcade, and which now reside in St Bartholomew’s Church. At the centre of the image and presiding over the whole process like a saintly scribe is Dr Martin Biddle who came to oversee the dig and is considered the font of all knowledge when it comes to the archaeology of Winchester, this is why he takes the position of the saint and scribe noting down the important findings from the dig. In fact, he is noting down a piece of text from the book of Amos (Old Testament, excuse poor translation into latin) ‘… they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit…’ (Amos 9:14). He is surrounded by his ‘flock’ of, less saintly but none the less hard-working archaeological followers some of whom may or may not be based on individuals involved in the 2017-2018 digs. All played an important role in ensuring the success of the event and many more than could possibly be depicted within the artwork.
During the dig an astonishing number of finds were recorded, and a particular highlight was the discovery of 24 voussoirs dating from the late 12th century and these form the centre piece of the artwork. Some of the finds have also been used within the artwork either as ‘relics’ built-in to the fabric of the frame or as pigments used within the paintings themselves.
The artwork is housed in a guilt frame of 22ct gold leaf much likes a genuine medieval triptych. Inlaid within the corners of the frame are stones and other items which were collected during the dig. These include pieces of pottery, medieval terracotta floor tile, small pieces of Cairn stone from Normandy, 19th century china and some 19th/20th Century glass.
The paintings themselves are on panels and painted in egg tempera the technique of painting used in the middle ages. This technique was used before oil paints were invented and required the artist to grind their own pigments which were bound in egg yolk rather than oil. Using this technique allowed me to use materials discovered during the dig and to grind stone and other materials in to power using this, alongside a number of other commercial produced pigments to crate the artwork. So, the roofs of the distant abbey church are painted using genuine ground terracotta roof tiles found during the dig, some of the pillars and capitals are painted using ground bath stone and samples of mortar from the foundation of what we believe to be the abbey refectory.
Not all pigments were that successful as pigments some were just to grainy whilst others too weak to produce a strong coloured pigment. Most materials could only yield up a range of very earthy colours and so often would have to be mixed with stronger pigments to produce a strong colour. All of the brighter and more vivid colours are from commercial sources since I was keen to reflect the very vivid colours of the middle ages, colour that we are familiar with from works in places like the religious paintings collection at the National Gallery or reflect the bright colours from illuminated manuscripts such as the Winchester Bible.
The paving in the foreground is painted using a pigment derived from Green Malm Stone from Sussex, whilst the colours for the tiles floor are painted using commercially bought pigments. However, the design of the tiles comes directly from one of the medieval floor tiles found during the dig in 2017 and depicts a rampant Griffin a symbol in the Christian church of Christ or more prosaically, for the less religiously inclined, a combination of sky and earth.
Other elements used within the triptych are inspired by sources include artwork from the New Minster and Hyde Abbey Libra Vitae, The Winchester Psalter and artworks such as the three panels for The San Pier Maggiore Alterpiece by Nardo di Cione, 1370 in the National Gallery, London and the Wilton Triptych, 1395-99 seen in the national Gallery, London with its rich use of gold and Lapis lazuli that inspired the deep Ultramarine blue sky in the central panel.
The reverse panel is an imagined depiction of the destruction of the Abbey in 1539, or thereabouts, during Henry VIII dissolution of the monasteries. The Kings commissioners are ‘visiting the monastery and stripping the abbey buildings of the valuable fabric whilst those that live in the precincts flee in horror.
‘The stone, tymber, slates, iron and glasse remaining within and upon the Church cloister, chapter house, dormytery,the Convent Hall, with the lodgings adjoining and the Gatehouse, deemed by the king’s Comyssioners to be superfluous houses, to be rased and taken to thuse of the kinge his majesytie.’
It is said that the Benedictine order at Hyde had been criticised for Drunken and lewd behaviour and some Monks frequented the local brothels or kept women in the monastery itself.