Angels rise again with stories from beyond the grave in Cork

The beautiful work of a famous Youghal glassworks is on display at an exhibition at the Crawford in Cork, writes Ellie O’Byrne

Mon, 02 Mar, 2015 - 00:00

Angels in Danger, an exhibition of cartoons and designs from the Watson family archive, is a moving testament to one family’s history and to the community heritage of Ireland’s ecclesiastical art.

James Watson was a Yorkshireman who moved to Ireland in the 1880s, buying out Cox, Buckley, and Sons glassworks in Youghal, Co Cork. Watson’s family had been glassworkers for generations and he became renowned in Ireland for the rich tones and fine detail of his stained glass windows, which were commissioned by Catholic and Protestant churches alike.

We're open 10-5 today @CrawfordArtGall ! Visit #TheWatsonArchiveExhibition Open until 28th of March pic.twitter.com/x515ymRjHY
— Crawford Art Gallery (@CrawfordArtGall) February 10, 2015

Using medieval techniques from the 14th century, Watson imported expensive but brilliantly coloured glass from Europe; red from England, blues, oranges and yellows from France and green from Germany. Watson stained glass was exhibited at the St Louis World Fair of 1904.

Watson’s workshop produced hundreds of to-scale drawings, templates for their windows. The Crawford Art Gallery acquired two thirds of the Watson archive at auction, with the remainder going to private collectors and family members. Executed on heavy Reeves cartridge paper in charcoal, the cartoons now hang in the Crawford’s upper gallery.

The tan paper of the cartoons evokes illuminated manuscripts and their frayed edges stand testament to their use and re-use. More earthy and immediate than the glassy, remote glory of the windows they represent, the pride and craftsmanship of their draughtsmen is clearly visible in their execution.

Highlights include panels depicting the biblical figures of Dorcas and Phoebe, whose finished windows can be viewed in St Michael’s Church in Blackrock, Co Cork, and a touching depiction of David, which was commissioned as a war memorial for Triskel Christchurch in Cork.

Watson & Co Youghal designed this WW1 memorial. Archives recently acquired by @CrawfordArtGall http://t.co/XgtoZeG9Q7 pic.twitter.com/t2hTGzS0iu
— Triskel Arts Centre (@TriskelCork) February 13, 2015

For many, the drawings hold great emotional significance; church patrons commissioned pieces to commemorate deceased family members.

“There are very moving things about the role of the stained-glass window in community life,” says Vera Ryan, the exhibition’s curator. “There are windows commissioned for mothers who died in childbirth, or for people who died elsewhere; their memory was being brought home to the local parish. The social history is very exciting.”

We're open until 8 this evening @CrawfordArtGall Visit the #WatsonArchiveExhibition #CanovaCasts #OurMutualFriend pic.twitter.com/kAqlMb2ABE
— Crawford Art Gallery (@CrawfordArtGall) February 12, 2015

Four generations of Watsons worked as stained glass artists in Youghal, employing more than 60 apprentices from the late 1880s until 1994, when the glassworks studio closed. Cecil Watson continued to work with glass until his death in 2012. Pre-Raphaelite influences are evident in the Watson studio’s work; one of their most celebrated pieces is inspired by William Holman Hunt’s ‘The Light of the World’. The finished window can be viewed in St Mary’s Church in Thurles.

The Watson archive also contains watercolour designs, ledgers, order books and other documents. The character of the Watsons is still evident in the pages of their ledgers.

“James was clearly very good with people,” Ryan says. “You get people from as far away as Ballyhaunis and Mayo sending him orders; his personal qualities obviously inspired loyalty. He smoked a pipe, that’s what people remembered, the pipe and the Yorkshire accent.”

Really interesting look at Watson Archive Exhibition @CrawfordArtGall this morning! Exciting project, worth a visit! pic.twitter.com/jVjODks9Rq
— maryjaneboland (@maryjaneboland) February 18, 2015

Clement, James’s son, who served in the First World War, was decorated at Ypres before returning to work in the family business. “I think he was a very big personality, you get a much stronger sense of who he was,” says Ryan.

The challenge now for the Crawford, which is approaching its bicentenary, is in restoring and housing such an extensive archive. The title of the exhibition, ‘Angels in Danger’, references the fragile condition of the archive, which was stored in various locations as the Watson studio moved over the years. “It’s amazing so much has survived,” says Ryan.

Some photos of the great work our team is doing on the #WatsonArchive #Exhibition! Come see for yourself! pic.twitter.com/K7qAEabCxU
— Crawford Art Gallery (@CrawfordArtGall) February 19, 2015

Acid-free linen tape is being used to repair the drawings, and in a corner of the room, Crawford graduate and artist Wendie Young is working away on remedial conservation work, flattening the cartoons and conducting basic repairs. The work is painstakingly slow, and Wendie has to wear a mask to protect herself from dust and spores, which become airborne when the pieces are handled.