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St.Christopher, Martlesham, Suffolk (‡ St. Edmundsbury & Ipswich) C.15

[Photo:T.Marshall] St. Christopher, Martlesham, (64KB)
It was described as ‘a magnificent fragment’ by HC Whaite¹, who drew it in 1928, but it had lost much detail by then, and has lost more since. Most of the lower part of St. Christopher himself has gone, but at 5 feet wide it is still impressive. Christopher has a short tunic, a bluish cloak looped around and over his shoulders, and a stout staff. Whaite’s drawing shows large buttons down the front of the tunic, a belt and possibly a rosary similar to that at Layer Marney in Essex.

St. Christopher’s head is very unclear now, but his forked and rather shaggy beard is clearer. The Christ Child, on his right shoulder, extends his right hand in blessing and holds in his left an orb of the world, with a square banner showing a cross, all now reduced to a few sketchy lines. Traces of a flowing twisted rope design, visible at the top, once formed a wide border of a kind found in other St. Christopher paintings, in particular a forthcoming one at Horley in Oxfordshire, and usually indicative of a fairly late date in the 15th century, rather than the late 14th/early 15th century period suggested by Whaite.

¹HC Whaite, St. Christopher in Medieval Wall Painting, 1929, p.22 & Plate 11

Follow the links below for individual picture and text pages - ‡ in page heading = Diocese

Belton, Suffolk Burnham Overy, Norfolk Cottered, Hertfordshire East Wellow, Hants Edingthorpe Norfolk
Fritton, Norfolk Haddiscoe, Norfolk Hemblington, Norfolk Impington, Cambridgeshire NEW Irstead, Norfolk
Layer Marney, Essex Littlebourne, Kent Martlesham, Suffolk Molesworth, Northants Oaksey, Wilts
Paston, Norfolk Pickering, N. Yorks Raunds, Northants Shorwell, Isle of Wight Slapton, Northants
Stoke Dry, Rutland Thurlton, Norfolk Wickhampton, Norfolk Woodeaton, Oxon

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13/4/2002