Judy Stephenson writes;
On Friday 30 July (a date on which in 1721 Grinling Gibbons would still have been alive) in front of his authenticated reredos in St Mary Abchurch, City of London, The Rt Hon & Rt Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London celebrated Evensong, in commemoration of his life.
Hanging her sermon on a poem by John Hancock ‘The Village Church’ she considered the lasting marks that craftsmen had made: embellishments to churches which were more than shadows. She spoke of the stonemasons’ marks, on for example, Salisbury Cathedral, hidden and overlooked in the main – but theirs individually identifiable. She spoke of other craftsmen – artists we would say today – whose influence is ‘so high, so deep, so wide’.
The following Monday, St Mary Abchurch would look quite different, as it was filled with the work of modern artists: craftsmen, carvers, painters, in an exhibition to show that although Grinling Gibbons was now 300 years dead, 2021 has its full share of excellence inspired by him.
William Grey, a contemporary of Grinling Gibbons, carved the pulpit.
Photography by KatrinaB©
