Page:Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries.djvu/266

 Devon Notes and Queries. 193 154. Subjects Illustrating the Life of Christ on A Frieze in John Grebnway's Chapel in S. Peter's, Tiverton. — As a pendant to Mr. Rogers' careful paper, dealing in part with John Greenway's work in the Church of S. Peter, Tiverton, it has been thought well to illustrate in full the most striking portions of the sculpture on his chapel, a series of twenty-one subjects in the Life of our Lord from the flight into Egypt to the Ascension. Unfortunately they stand in a high and exposed position on the outside of the church, in a string course running round three sides of the chapel, above the top of the windows, and in consequence some have become much damaged, and photo- graphing them has been accompanied with much difBculty ; indeed, the feat has been only rendered possible, in the absence of a scaffolding, by the invention of the telephoto lens. The photographs were made by the kindness of Mr. Dudley Clarke Jervoise, and most of the prints by Mr. W. Penny, to both of whom my thanks are due. The string-course is 10 inches in height ; the groups are placed at intervals varying from a foot to 3 feet apart. The groups are all 9 inches in height, and 11 or 12 inches in length, save No. i, which is smaller, and measures only 9 by 8 inches. I give a detailed description of the sculptures. Nos. 1-5 are on the west front, 6-16 on the south, 17-21 on the east front of the chapel. (i.) The flight into Egypt. — The Blessed Virgin is seen with the Child, mounted upon a horse led by S. Joseph. This group may possibly have been reworked at the restoration of the porch in 1825. (2.) Christ in the Temple. — The Christ-Child stands on a dais of three steps ; below and on either side stands a Rabbi, each with a book in his hand ; the sinister figure is pointing. (3.) The Baptism, — A very striking group of four figures ; the Baptist pours water from a round vessel on the head of Christ, who is standing waist deep in the water ; overhead is the dove ; on either side is a standing .figure, probably of a disciple. (4.) This group has been variously identified. Harding, who wrote in 1841, when the carving was less weather-worn, without hesitation describes it as the Commission of Christ to