Pictures, Words and Music

Faith and Art

Master Gwynfor Evans

Revd Stephen Baxter convened another interesting and moving event at the chapel on Thursday 10 July 2025. The chapel choir, with pieces carefully chosen by Master Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, were joined by Joshua Simoes (organist of Hampton Court Chapel) on the organ, and with the Venerable Peter Delaney MBE, Archdeacon Emeritus, they transported us into the intersection of Christian faith, sublime music and impactful art.

The Archdeacon began life studying fine art and then worked in Hollywood in the film industry. His discovery of Quakerism led him back to the UK to read theology and then to become ordained as an Anglican priest. Following earlier work as a curate, a chaplain, Residentiary Canon of Southwark Cathedral and Vicar of All Hallows by the Tower, he was appointed Archdeacon of London in 1999. He is now, in his retirement, Associate Priest at St Bartholomewthe-Great in Smithfield.

The choir opened the evening with O Virgo Mediatrix by Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179). The Archdeacon then led us through the masterpieces of Duccio di Buoninsegna, who lived and died in Siena and who was an active painter in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century. He was a radical, favoured by his patrons, who had mastered painting with egg tempura on wood, overlaying several of his works with gold leaf.

The Archdeacon provided a helpful and engaging narrative for several of Duccio’s works, starting with The Virgin & Child on a throne, painted in c. 1308-1311. Duccio had travelled to Constantinople, and was inspired by Byzantine art. This work, with its delicate shading and flowing lines, depicts the Virgin Mary, with eyes downcast, looking solemn and contemplative whilst holding the baby Jesus, drawing the focus of the viewer to her serene face and her spirituality.

Duccio also completed the Maestà, which had been commissioned for the High Altar of Siena Cathedral and was completed in June 1311. Duccio painted both sides of this 5-metre-high altarpiece and therefore insisted on double pay, commenting that ‘God can see all sides of my paintings’. At one stage it was dismantled and sawn up to make two altar pieces, but was partially restored in 1956, although parts of it remain scattered around the world in museums or are simply unaccounted for (lost). This gleaming gold altarpiece never tarnished and features many biblical characters and scenes, including The Annunciation, The Raising of Lazarus, The Appearances of Christ on Lake Tiberias and on the mountain in Galilee, Christ and the Samaritan woman and the Last Supper, to name only a few. Duccio’s particular skills provide a sense of movement to the disciples depicted at the Last Supper.

Archdeacon Delaney provided commentary on various other works of Duccio, observing the tension apparent in The Three Marys at the Tomb, and in The Kiss of Judas. A beautiful rendition of Stanford’s Magnificat in B flat provided the perfect introduction to Duccio’s Virgin & Child with Saints Dominic and Aurea (1312) and The Annunciation (1308), which are in the National Gallery in London. The former had been a portable altarpiece with closing shutters, used for worship. The border of the altarpiece portrays Daniel, Moses, Isaiah, David, Abraham, Jacob and Jeremiah. Duccio’s drapery was beginning to show form and the figures had rounded faces and life behind their eyes.

As for The Annunciation, Duccio captures a sense of movement and energy, the angel delivering the good news to Mary in a lifelike and seemingly three-dimensional setting. The choir then sang the refreshing and beautiful Littlemore Tractus by Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) (a composer with whom Christopher Bowers-Broadbent has worked and of whose work he remains a great admirer).

The Scrovegni Chapel in Padua was the next destination, adorned as it is with a masterpiece of medieval art by Ducci’s pupil Giotto in the form of a cycle of frescos and its deep blue high ceiling. It is well worth a visit, and is now protected by a hightech air conditioning and purification system that isolates the air inside the chapel from that on the outside.

The Archdeacon highlighted the Crucifixion by Giotto, with Christ being surrounded by mourning hovering angels, each somehow actively involved in the event. This was followed by the poignant choral work Crucifixus (extract from setting of the Credo) by Antonio Lotti (1667-1740).

Highlights of Giotto’s work, such as St Francis receiving the stigmata (now in the Louvre), The Kiss of Judas and The Nativity were all discussed, the Archdeacon highlighting Giotto’s skill at drawing the viewer’s eye to the central feature of the latter two works, namely Jesus. He also pointed out Giotto’s ability, echoing that of Duccio, to depict the three dimensionality of life in his paintings. His skill at capturing realism, naturalism and emotional expression has been the inspiration for many later artists, including Eric Gill, who was commissioned to provide the 14 Stations of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral.

The evening was rounded off with a superb rendition of Christopher Bowers-Broadbent’s Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100), conducted admirably, as were all the works tonight, by Chris himself.

The Treasurer expressed her delight at the evening’s work, the connection between the artists themselves and the pairings with the music, and the insight into the Christian faith as seen through the eye of the artists, exclaiming ‘what a feast!’. She too had found the Jubilate Deo joyful and uplifting and a fitting end to the evening. A superb supper was served in Hall afterwards.

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