Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 2.djvu/393

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DECORATIONS IN DISTEMPER IN STANTON HARCOURT CHURCH, OXFORDSHIRE.

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The Last Supper.The Washing of the Disciples' Feet.


The repairs lately in progress in the church of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, brought to light numerous pictorial decorations in distemper, which have unfortunately been al- ready destroyed, as well by being chipped away to get a firm face for the new plaster, as by being actually re-plastered. I propose to give a brief description of the most remarkable parts.

The lower division of the walls was adorned with a very elegant design of diamond panelling. The intersecting lines, which gave the diamond shape, were enriched with two red cords intertwined, and at the points of intersection with an expanded flower. Within the diamond panels was a white foliated pattern, and on that an elegant device, which had much the appearance of a pine-apple. No single panel was quite perfect, but I collected the design from different panels as well as I could. I judge from the mode in which the