William of Wykeham als Collegegründer und Bauherr

The building projects of William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester (1367 – 1404), are among the most important contributions to Gothic art and architecture in England. Collectively they form an exceptional body of work created at the behest of a single patron. As the first comprehensive study of the works of art initiated by the bishop, this monograph examines their commissioning and explores the interests and ambitions of a prolific medieval patron of art and architecture. Following an introduction into Wykeham’s biography and the archival sources, chapter three of this book analyzes the beginnings of Wykeham’s career in the administration of the king’s works in the early 1360s and traces his progression from an energetic clerk of works in the service of Edward III to a self-confident patron in his own right. Chapter four covers Wykeham’s versatile activities as a builder spanning from the realization of two carefully planned colleges at Oxford and Winchester and the rebuilding of several episcopal manor houses to the refurbishment of the nave of Winchester Cathedral, which houses his magnificent chantry chapel. In this section of the book the documentary evidence for the commissions, the dates and the layout of the buildings at Oxford, Winchester, Highclere, Southwark, East Meon and Bishop’s Waltham are discussed. A further focus lies on the reconstruction of the original iconographic schemes that decorated the buildings, in particular of the stained glass in the college chapels. In three successive chapters, the individual projects are re-embedded in their original historical, religious and artistic context to uncover Wykeham’s intentions and ideas.