The Brass Eagle Lecterns of England

2017 | History & Politics

The brass eagle lectern is regarded as a quintessential piece of English church furniture which reflects the wealth of late medieval English towns and their connections with Europe. In this fascinating book, the author traces the development of the lecterns from the tenth century and provides a comprehensive picture of the lecterns found in East Anglia (where most of them are located) and throughout the whole of England, including the ones used in Cambridge colleges.The author makes a close analysis of the lecterns with information on the materials they were made from, which was mostly brass from the Meuse valley, and the centres of their manufacture, such as Tournai, and explanations of iconography. Including the story of Isleham, where a lectern was found in the fens in the early nineteenth century, where it was probably hidden before the dissolution of the local priory, and the rare double headed eagle lectern in Redenhall, not to mention the beautiful pelican lectern in Norwich Cathedral, and the reason why some eagle lecterns have open beaks, this book provides all the information you need about an often seen but little understood piece of church furniture.

Marcus Meulen (Author)