Posted on 11/10/2009 10:00:03 PM PST by nickcarraway
Damage caused by Oliver Cromwell's army 350 years ago is threatening to ruin the tomb of the Black Prince in Canterbury Cathedral.
Stained glass windows overlooking the tomb of Edward, Prince of Wales, were destroyed by Puritan iconoclasts in the 1640s, allowing damaging UV rays to enter the cathedral unfiltered. Since then, clear replacements have been installed and the deterioration of the paintwork on the 14th century canopy surrounding the prince's resting place has continued.
The brilliant colours of the artworks that look down on the bronze figure of the prince are fading rapidly and the red pigment used by the original artists is turning black.
In a bid to halt the centuries of damage, restoration experts have now installed a huge blind to shield the artworks from harmful rays and created a system for regulating the humidity.
Leonie Seliger, the head of stained glass at the cathedral, said: "As far as we know this is the first time in the world that such preventative measures have been adopted.
"The information from the sensors is relayed onto a computer within the cathedral precincts 24 hours a day, and then the results are sent off for analysis.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
You think Cromwell did some bad stuff to religious art, wait ‘til the muslims take over!
I can just see it now - some liberal journalist blaming Bush for some structural damage to a mosque 350 years from now.
Ping
And, like Cromwell, the Muzis have a penchant for killing innocents.
Some of the factions within Cromwell's New Model Army had an attitude towards religious art more or less identical to that of the modern Saudis.
But Cromwell struck down a King, so there must be something to his ability to damage a mere Prince.
Some of the Army like Major General Harrison were much more “puritanical” and the Levelers of the time supported radical egalitarian measures that Cromwell opposed.
Even in Ireland, Cromwell was a teddy bear compared to some of the previous Royalist military administrators of the island.
When Cromwell was Lord Protector, plays could be performed in London theatres with women playing the roles of women which was prohibited at times before and after Cromwell.
You’d have thought curtains would have been installed before now.
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Thanks nickcarraway. And thanks to everyone who helped me so much by posting topics for me to ping. Believe it or not, I didn't even ask about half of 'em... |
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My people came here on the Cromwell Cruise Lines.
I like to blame that bastard for *everything*....:-D
Huh? From what I recall of the history of English drama, the theaters were closed altogether from 1642 to 1660; Cromwell was Lord Protector from 1653 to 1658.
1642 - The closing of the theatres by Parliament in 1642 is perhaps the best-known fact in the history of English drama.
1660 - Prior to the Restoration period, public English stage performances had been banned for 18 years by a Puritan regime, led by Oliver Cromwell. When theaters re-opened in 1660, it signaled a rebirth of English drama.
Those darned church wreckovators — not just a post Vatican II phenomenon.
You are right. I was wrong.
The banning of theatres (originally a five-year ban) in 1642 occurred when Cromwell was an MP and a Colonel but was not yet a dominent figure.
Actresses of the time were mostly confined to the underground theatre and John Milton approved recitations. Milton loved both Shakespeare and Cromwell and was one of the most powerful Cromwellians to continue living in England after the Restoration without facing trail.
Of course theatre bans were periodic at other times especially during plague spikes.
There is little evidence Cromwell was an iconoclast although some in his army were. Fact is much more damage was done to religious structures by Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's chief minister, who among other things led the effort to close the abbeys and confiscate their wealth.
Really! My family happens to be from Northern Ireland, Tyrone county. Its no surprise that they all joined the Revolution and even one served in the continental army.
Free Ulster!
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