Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 6.djvu/321

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THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 193 an altar, robed in full pontificals, with his mitre placed on the north side of the altar behind him, as he stands near the centre, sideways, with his face elevated towards a figure of our Lord, who is represented crowned with thorns ; the left hand raised to the shoulder, displaying the print of the nail ; while with his right hand he is opening the wound in his side, between the thumb and forefinger; an action which also displays the prints of the nail in the back of the hand. The bishop is holding the wafer in his right hand, while with his left he is grasping the stem of the chalice which rests on the altar. On the south side of the altar is a figure of a priest kneeling, habited in a cope and the other usual vest- ments. Between the figures an open missal is displayed on the altar, which is covered with a rich cloth of red and gold. On either side of the head of our Lord is the figure of an angel, with wings stretched at right angles with their shoulders, in an attitude as if descending from heaven, their heads towards the earth, but with their faces turned outwards so as to look at the spectator ; each figure has one hand extended towards the head of our Lord, the other reaching downwards on the outer edge of the composition, and holding a drapery, which occupies the whole of the back ground, and has been richly ornamented with gilt stars on a red ground. The figiu'e of our Lord is a half-length, and is naked, except a cloth round the loins, on which are remains of gilding ; on the rest of the body there are no traces of colouring. Over the whole is a canopy, flat at the top, ■with a series of small battlements, beneath which is a row of small arches without foliations, disposed in pairs, and between each pair is a triangular projection, also containing similar arches, one on each side of the triangle, and terminating in a pendent. The height of the whole composition is about 3 feet inches; width 1 foot 6 inches; height of bishop, 1 foot inches ; of priest, 1 foot 4 inches ; of altar, 1 foot (it extends the whole width, except on the south side, where space is left for the figure of the priest); height of arches, 3 inches. The whole has been richly coloured in red and gold, and is in the highest state of preservation. It is executed in very high relief, except the mitre, book, chalice, the upper part of the figure of the bishop, and the figure of the priest, which are disengaged. It is most worthy of attention, and it is hoped that, now that it has been brought to light, care will be taken to secure it from injury. It is a valuable specimen of the state of art at the time it was executed, which I conceive to have been temp. Henry VII., or early in that of Henry VIII. I consider it to have belonged originally to the chantry, which exists on the north side of the chancel, •where there is a tomb of that date (1534) belonging to one of the Waller family." " My attention was called to this interesting discovery by Mr. Greville John Chester, who did so in order that I may report it to the Institute. I am also indebted to liim for the following notice of discoveries which have lately been made in the parish of North Waltham : — ' In this parish,' he says, ' in a field near the Wheat Sheaf Inn, several Iloman antiquities have been found. The site being dug into some time ago, extensive foundations of a building which, no doubt, had been a Roman villa were discovered. These have been now destroyed. The objects alluded to consist of a small bulls head of brass, a perfect Roman bow-shaped filuila of vciy plain work-