In July this year the dedication of a new stained glass window designed by Christian, in memory of Christian Brown OBE, took place in Cornerstone, Cardiff. The Most Reverend George Stack, Emeritus Archbishop of Cardiff, presided over the events, with a thanksgiving Mass in St David’s Cathedral said beforehand and a celebration dinner held afterwards.
The occasion marked the end of the commission, which started before the pandemic and saw the window installed last Easter. The window itself has been on a journey around the country with Christian working with friends, fellow artists and craftspeople to get the window made while he was fulfilling teaching commitments.
The first stage involved Christian working from his deign to draw the cartoons. The elements of the design were proposed by the client and include the Papal and Archbishop’s coat of arms, badges of the The Military Order of the Collar of Saint Agatha of Paternò and The Order of St Gregory the Great, along with a scene spanning both lights containing imagery celebrating Christian Browns’s life.
Left: Papal Coat of Arms | Right: Coat of Arms of Archbishop Stack
On completion of the cartoons, Christian commissioned letter cutter Nia Bennett from Cowbridge to draw up the inscriptions. Once the glass had been selected, he handed over to glass artist Rachel Phillips who worked from the cartoons and cutlines to cut, etch, paint and stain the glass. After all the glass had been fired it was transported to Yorkshire to Jonathan Cooke, glass painter, conservator and master craftsman, who cut the background glass and created the finished panels.
The panels were transported back to South Wales and installation was undertaken by Christian and Mac McHugh from Great Panes, sucessfully installing the window last spring. A true collaboration between friends old and new.
