Jared (detail), 1178–80, Canterbury Cathedral © Robert Greshoff Photography, courtesy Dean and Chapter of Canterbury

Between February 25th and May 18th the Cloisters Museum at the MET in New York is hosting an exhibition presenting stained glass from England’s historic Canterbury Cathedral, dating from 1178-80. I find this concept quite unusual I’m not going to lie, as the exhibitions features six Romanesque-period windows that have never left the cathedral since their creation. Bringing stained-glass from the Cathedral to the MET – why when you can just go to Canterbury itself? I guess through bringing the glass over the pond, so to speak, allows more people to see the beauty of Canterbury’s windows. However, I feel that taking such works out of their religious context renders them almost ‘dumb’ in the sense that they’re not functioning in the religious manner that they should be. I guess times have changed so much anyway, that perhaps the religious function of the stained glass windows are becoming more over-looked and less part of their identity. Having studied Canterbury Cathedral last term, I fell in love with it. I have never been there myself, but having seen and learnt about it through images and online 3-D tours I would love to visit.

If anyone is feeling incredibly generous and would like to provide me with tickets (and travel…) to go to the MET to see this exhibition I will love you forever!

For more information and beautiful pictures of the stained glass on show, visit the MET’s website here: http://www.metmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/listings/2014/canterbury-stained-glass

Also, Apollo magazine (who I interned for during the Summer) have created this awesome article showing some of the best examples of stained-glass across the world, check it out! https://www.apollo-magazine.com/stained-glass/