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Special Collections Material
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From Pugin's Specimens of Gothic architecture;
selected from various antient edifices in England (Volume II) (1823) 1. "The statue represents King Henry III., the reigning sovereign at the time of the foundation of [Merton's] college ... The arms at the bottom, held by an angel, are those of Henry V., in whose reign this part of the college was built." 2. "The canopy has an air of heaviness, though full of ornaments; and the separation of the corbel from the bases of the sides, makes the bottom of the tabernacle look imperfect." 3. "The statue gives a characteristic portrait of the meek Henry VI., a youth at the time of its erection, about 1440 ... The architectural character of this tabernacle is similar to the first of the three, except in having the statue raised upon a pedestal: the back of this niche is flat, and its want of depth injures the effect considerably; the usual plan was a hexagon, half recessed, and half projecting." (pages 24-25) |
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| Niches at Oxford: 1. Merton College; 2. Corpus Christi
College; 3. All Souls College. (Plate XXXIX: Vol. II) |
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