‘A man greatly beloved’ and Immortalized in opus sectile Powell & Sons, Monument to Robert Claudius Billing (1899)

Abstract

The alabaster wall monument to Robert Claudius Billing, Suffragan Bishop of Bedford, placed in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral, commemorates the life and service of a Victorian cleric known for his work in the overcrowded parishes of east London. Supplied by Powell and Sons, a London-based glassmaking firm that made stained glass and mosaics as well as reredoses and tablets, the monument echoes the architectural style and decoration of the iconic building in which it is placed, as well as showcasing a new vitreous mosaic material known as opus sectile that the firm innovated and marketed as suitable for both wall and floor decoration. The striking opus sectile portrait of Billing preserves an image of the deceased, and together with the accompanying epitaph demonstrates the affection and high esteem in which he was held in the Diocese of London and beyond.