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  • Chapter house sculpture

    • Chapter house sculpture

      Plan, chapter house, showing location of the sixty Old Testament scenes.

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      • Pre-restoration drawings, Old Testament cycle.

        First twenty-eight scenes. Drawn by John Carter, 1802. London, British Library, Add. MS. 29939, p. 73.

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      • Pre-restoration drawings, Old Testament scenes.

        Next twenty-seven scenes. Drawn by John Carter, 1802. London, British Library, Add. MS. 29939, p. 74.

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      • Pre-restoration drawing.

        The final five scenes of the Old Testament cycle, and sketches of label stops along the continuous blind arcade. Drawn by John Carter, 1802. London, British Library, Add. MS. 29939, p. 74.

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    • West bay

      Plan, west (entrance) bay.

      Old Testament scenes 59, 60 and 1, 2.

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      • West bay, entrance viewed from the east.

        Scenes 1 and 2 of Old Testament cycle are to right of entry, in spandrels of lower blind arcade. Scenes 59 and 60 are at left. Christ in Majesty in tympanum above door.

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        • West bay, entrance viewed from the east.

          Christ in Majesty in the tympanum surrounded by the four signs of the Evangelists and the blind arcade below the four-light window.

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          • Entrance bay, showing degraded 19th c. polychromy.

            19th century polychromy was removed c. 1905.

          • Creation on the first day.

            Spandrel I, west bay, to right of entrance.

          • Second day of Creation.

            Spandrel II, west bay, to right of entrance.

            • Diagram, restorations to first and second days of Creation.

              Cross-hatched areas have been restored.

          • Entwined monsters in blind arcade above entrance.

            Located in the central spandrel of blind arcade, at tip of tympanum over the entrance, west bay.

          • Stiff leaf capital, blind arcade above entrance.

            Stiff leaf foliage on the capital, flanked by lions. Located in the blind arcade above the entrance, western bay.

    • Northwest bay

      Plan, northwest bay.

      Scenes 3-10.

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      • Northwest bay arcades.

        The blind arcade frames the canons' seats and continues around chapter house to west bay entrance.

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        • Northwest bay arcades and Old Testament sculpture.

          The spandrels formed by the arches contain scenes of Creation, third through seventh Day, and four scenes from the Adam and Eve cycle from the Injunction to the Hiding in the Garden and Sentencing.

          • Northwest bay with 19th c. polychromy.

            19th century polychromy removed c. 1905. Details of the Creation and Adam and Eve cycles. Photo, courtesy of the late Canon Dawson.

          • Third day of Creation.

            Spandrel I, northwest bay.

            • Diagram, restorations to the third day of Creation.

          • Sixth day of Creation.

            Spandrel IV, northwest bay.

            • Diagram, restorations to the sixth day of Creation.

          • The Fall, northwest bay.

          • Capital no. 7, blind arcade, northwest bay.

            Showing stiff leaf foliage.

          • Capital no. 8, blind arcade, northwest bay.

            Showing stiff leaf foliage inhabited by two birds.

    • North bay

      Plan, north bay.

      Scenes 11-18.

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      • North bay arcades.

        Spandrels above arches framing the canons' seats contain the two final scenes of the Adam and Eve cycle, the four scenes of the Cain and Abel cycle, and three scenes of the Noah cycle.

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        • North bay of the chapter house with 19th c. polychromy.

          Polychromy removed c. 1905.

        • Sacrifice of Cain and Abel.

          Spandrel III, north bay.

          • Diagram, restorations to the Sacrifice of Cain and Abel.

        • Cain Murders Abel.

          • Diagram, restorations to the murder of Abel.

        • Noah's Ark afloat.

          Spandrel VII, north bay.

          • Detail, Noah's Ark afloat.

            Noah receiving the dove.

          • Diagram, restorations to Noah's Ark afloat.

        • Capital no. 8, blind arcade, north bay.

          Stiff leaf foliage inhabited by a monkey and a fox (?).

    • Northeast bay

      Plan, northeast bay.

      Scenes 19-26.

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      • Northeast bay arcades.

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        • North and northeast bay spandrels.

          Spandrels contain three final scenes from the Noah cycle and seven scenes from the lives of Abraham and Lot.

        • Detail, the Drunkenness of Noah.

          Thirteenth-century head of Ham at left. Spandrel I, northeast bay.

        • Abraham offering hospitality to the Three Angels.

          Spandrel III, northeast bay.

          • Detail, the Three Angels.

            From scene in which Abraham offers them his hospitality.

          • Diagram, restorations to Abraham offering hospitality to Three Angels.

        • Abraham entertaining the Three Angels (left).

          The fall of Sodom and Gomorrah (right)

          • Pre-restoration engraving, Abraham entertaining the angels.

            Spandrel V, northeast bay. T. Baxter, del. and J. LeKeux, sculp. Published by J. Britton, 1841.

        • Lot and daughters fleeing Sodom, with wife turning into pillar of salt.

          Spandrel V, northeast bay.

          • Detail, Lot and his daughters fleeing Sodom.

          • Diagram, restorations to Lot and his daughters fleeing Sodom.

        • Head, chapter house label stop, northeast bay, no. 4.

    • East bay

      Plan, east bay.

      Scenes 27-34.

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      • East bay arcades.

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        • Reunion of Jacob and Esau.

          Spandrel VIII, east bay. Their wives are at left.

          • Detail, reunion of Jacob and Esau.

          • Diagram, restorations to the reunion of Jacob and Esau.

        • Head, chapter house label stop, east bay, no. 4.

        • Head, chapter house label stop, east bay, no. 2.

        • Capital no. 6, blind arcade, east bay.

          Stiff leaf and pseudo-naturalistic foliage and berries; lintel, pseudo-naturalistic grape vine.

    • Southeast bay

      Plan, southeast bay.

      Scenes 35-42.

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      • Southeast bay arcades.

        Scenes of the Joseph cycle beginning with his dream and carrying the story to Potiphar's wife falsely denoucing Joseph as her seducer. The detail of the south bay shows him cast into prison.

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        • Joseph relating his dreams; Joseph being put into a well by his brothers.

          • Joseph relating his dreams to his father and brothers.

            Spandrel II, southeast bay.

            • Diagram, restorations to Joseph relating his dreams.

          • Joseph with his brothers in the field.

            Spandrel III, southeast bay. Joseph arriving at the field; the brothers putting Joseph in the well; the brothers staining his coat with the blood of a lamb.

            • Diagram, restorations to Joseph with his brothers in the field.

        • Joseph presented to Pharaoh; Potiphar's wife tempting him.

          Spandrels VI and VII.

          • Joseph presented and pledging fealty to Pharaoh.

            Spandrel VI, southeast bay.

            • Diagram, restorations to Joseph presented to Pharaoh.

    • South bay

      Plan, south bay.

      Scenes 43-50.

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      • South bay arcades.

        Continuing scenes of the Joseph cycle and a section of the southwest bay continuing the cycle.

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        • Fulfillment of dreams of Pharaoh's baker and butler; Pharaoh's dream.

          Spandrels II and III, south bay.

          • Fulfillment of dreams of Pharaoh's baker and butler.

            Spandrel II, south bay.

            • Diagram, restorations to dreams of Pharaoh's baker and butler.

          • Pre-restoration engraving of Pharaoh's dream.

            Spandrel III, south bay. T. Baxter and J. LeKeux. Published by J. Britton, 1841.

        • Paraoh consulting the magus; butler telling Pharaoh of Joseph's ability to interpret dreams.

          Spandrel IV, south bay.

          • Diagram, restorations to Pharaoh with magus and butler.

        • Joseph released from prison and accepting Pharaoh's rod of authority.

          Spandrel V, south bay.

          • Diagram, restorations to Joseph leaving prison and receiving the rod of authority.

        • Joseph supervising corn threshing and filling his brothers' sacks with corn.

          Spandrels VI and VII, southwest bay.

          • Pre-restoration engraving of Joseph's brothers in Egypt.

            Joseph's brothers in Egypt: filling the sacks with corn (left) and their pledge to return with Benjamin (right), spandrel VII, south bay. F. Nash and G. Cook. Published by W. Dodsworth, 1814.

        • Capital no. 8, southeast bay.

          Stiff leaf foliage with two human-headed beasts.

    • Southwest bay

      Plan, southwest bay.

      Scenes 51-58.

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        • Joseph's family bowing before him.

          Spandrel IV, southwest bay.

          • Diagram, restorations to Joseph's family bowing before him.

        • Reunion of Joseph and Jacob.

          With Benjamin on the right. Spandrel V, southwest bay.

          • Diagram, restorations to reunion of Joseph and Jacob.

        • Moses parting the Red Sea waters.

          Spandrel VII, southwest bay.

          • Diagram, restorations to Moses parting the Red Sea.

        • Capital no. 1, blind arcade, southwest bay.

          Pseudo-naturalistic foliage between three human heads.