04/10/2026
We were approached this week, asking for some information about the cartoons that he has, and wondered the drawing was of one of the windows within our beautiful church, and it is! How amazing is it to see the sketches!
Here is some history behind the window.....
A late 19th-century original full-scale preparatory design for a stained-glass window (stained-glass cartoon), executed in pencil, ink and sepia wash on paper, with original working lines and annotations. Approximately 140 × 44 cm.
Created by the English stained-glass artist Herbert Bryans (1855–1925), the cartoon depicts the classic biblical scene of The Annunciation, in which the Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the Son of God.
Bryans worked at the renowned studio of Charles Eamer Kempe from 1889, where he subsequently became assistant to John Carter, Kempe’s chief designer. He remained at the studio until 1897, when he left to establish his own studio. Bryans’ work reflects the beautiful and distinctive aesthetic of the Arts and Crafts and Pre-Raphaelite movements, with their emphasis on elegant composition, intricate detail and medieval-inspired imagery.
The corresponding stained-glass window was crafted and installed at Holy Trinity Church, Capenhurst, Cheshire, England, and, based on Bryans’ documented employment at the Kempe studio, the cartoon and resulting window can be dated to approximately 1889–1897.
