William Peckitt’s Great West Window at Exeter Cathedral

Following the appointment of Dean Lyttleton, an enthusiast for the middle ages, in 1748, Exeter cathedral set about a series of improvements. In 1764 attention turned to the great west window of the nave. William Peckitt of York, the leading glass-painter of his day, was commissioned to provide the glazing. This was one of the most ambitious and costly projects of its day in Britain; it was completed in 1767. It portrayed standing apostles and saints, with the coats of arms of cathedral dignitaries and the Devon families who sponsored the work.

This hand-tinted pen-and-ink drawing of the window, painted by William Peckitt, shows the original colour scheme, which decayed subsequently. The window was removed in 1906.

Acknowledgments: RAM Museum