An Awkward Fit? Winifred Knights’ Scenes from the Life of Saint Martin of Tours, Canterbury Cathedral

Abstract

This article discusses Winifred Knights’ Scenes from the Life of Saint Martin of Tours (1933, St Martin’s Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral). It examines the reredos’ narratives and functions. For the commissioners it was integral to a memorial to Alfred, Lord Milner; for Knights, the central narrative represented her stillborn son. Knights, who had won the Rome Prize for The Deluge in 1920, adapted her design in response to Sir Herbert Baker’s suggestions. Later in the 1930s, Dean Hewlett Johnson moved the painting to the Crypt. The article argues that it is best seen in the original memorial location associated with service and resurrection.