We know so very little about him.
And yet through the ages we have carefully garnered the detaied lives of our great artists: we know about Van Gogh’s turmoil, about the death of Barbara Hepworth’s son in a plane crash, about Da Vinci’s unquenchable curiosity.
Time is dispassionate. And scrabble as we may, it washes away patches from the lives of men so that there are some we may never learn about.
Yesterday afternoon I went to a favourite haunt, one I know intimately; but one which will always afford another surprise. Winchester Cathedral is an Aladdin’s Cave for a historian. It is studded with detail, picture and story. It is a veritable box of jewels. And I was pottering round, explaining this and that to my daughter, and we found ourselves standing in the choir stalls.
I have sung evensong in these stalls. I have wandered past them myriad times. But I have never looked with yesterday’s eyes. And for the first time I looked carefully at the time-black wood carving of the choir stalls.
And there he stood. The Falconer; a wooden frieze set in between two ornamental arches of the stalls.
He might have been standing next to me, he was so real and present, though these carvings date back to the fourteenth century. He has a clear and present-ness, an immediacy. He stands there as the Mona Lisa hangs at the Louvre, with greatness about him. The man who carved the falconer was a very great artist. Even now, his figure’s sense of unity with his bird, with nature, his accord with the time which has been allotted with him – it is there in the set of his hat, the folds of his clothes, the lines of his face, the crook of his arm.
The Falconer is a masterpiece.
It is more startling because this man does not stand holding his falcon in the 1600s but in the 1300s. His dress is that of our English fairytales, and belongs to a time about which, frankly, we fantasise and navel-gaze. To find one so real when we are used to poring over mediaeval manuscripts for minute details – well, it is almost unsettling.
But his artist? Of him, we know so little, and that we do know comes from a letter from the Bishop of Winchester to the Bishop of Norwich.
“Since William of Lingwode, carpenter, your tenant in your manor of Blofield, has already begun a work of his craft in the choir of our Cathedral Church of St. Swithun at Winchester, which, without his continuous presence, could not be finished within the due time, we cordially ask, by your sincere friendship, about which we have special confidence, how long you think it right, in as far as you are able, to have the absence of the said craftsman, your tenant, excused for a good reason…”
Kate Shrewsday 
Fascinating.. c
Well worth a visit. The carving is mesmerising, Celi.
I’m not sure what I’m more enchanted with, Kate; the carpenter, the frieze, or the letter. Of course, the good lady who crafted this post enchants the most. As Cecilia notes above, fascinating. 🙂
A fresh blanket of snow here, which is lovely in the early morning light – not looking forward to going out in it, though. Hope all is well at the Shrewsday Mansion.
Snow outlives its welcome, does it not, Penny? I hope it can charm you a little linger before its departure. And the birds, I suspect, will be treating you as a diner….
Oh, how wonderful! Thank you so much for this gift of time travel and a glimpse into a master craftsman’s life. I have these exact sensations when wandering through old houses….wondering who was the last to laugh or cry and what was their story. I confess to not knowing who Barbara Hepworth is, a condition about to be remedied. Thank you Google.
Ah, now, there’s another absorbing story, Silver. I’m so pleased you loved the falconer as much as I did, and enjoy your Googling!
Kate,
I always enjoy the bits of history you are able to find in the nooks and crannies of the places you visit. You are inspiring me to start writing about the local and quirky history of my hometown.
Patrick
Excellent, Patrick! I can’t wait to start reading. I’ll go and make sure I have an e mail subscription. Everywhere has its stories and I love to hear them.
There is so much history in England that one can visit any day. How lucky you are. I am going to Ireland on Saturday and hope to see the Book of Kells. I was at Bodega Bay Calif yesterday, 81 Degrees, it was beautiful. Alas no history there to speak of but a lot of natural beauty and a pair of saucy ravens. Love your writings.
Andree, what a wonderful life you lead! Some great destinations there. Have a wonderful time in Ireland. Magical country, if occasionally soggy. And this is the 150th anniversary of Yeats’s birth. Exciting time.
In so much art, I always wonder who the faces are. Artists almost always used real faces, but the stories often aren’t preserved. This one is a gem, Kate. I love that we can see what he and his wife looked like.
The ‘ Who was the Mona Lisa’ debate rages on, doesn’t it, Andra? The Falconer has such a wonderful expression. It makes me feel at home because I know people like him, expert, patient people I have met in all walks of life with all l kinds of expertise. I just loved his face at first sight. But if history can only just recall the name of his creator, I am not sure we will ever know the falconer of who he really was.
Alas.
I am a wood carver too. Celtic figurine chessmen in cherry or walnut.
It is an extraordinary skill, Carl. I am in awe of people who can make wood speak in this way.
Beautiful share, Kate. Love the carvings.
Thank you, Nancy 🙂