In the 1940s he curated an exhibition in Chichester Cathedral entitled 'The Artist and the Church'. Piper later wrote in his 1968 booklet about stained glass: 'I learnt more about using colours doing this copy than I have ever learned before or since.' He also became fascinated by the idea that the beauty of the glass came from the weathering – its wear and tear and accumulated grime – which gave it both 'presence' and 'romance'. He shared Read's belief that ancient stained glass provided the foundation for modern art, pre-empting its intentions and techniques. Peatling in Herbert Read's English Stained Glass (1926). He meticulously learnt the techniques of tracing windows and of making watercolour copies of stained glass from A. In 1929, Piper made a detailed watercolour copy of the thirteenth-century window in St Leonard's Church in Grateley (Hampshire) which showed the martyrdom of Saint Stephen.

This page shows Piper’s handmade adjustable counter of how many churches he had visited as a teenager. Published by George Allen & Sons, London. John Piper’s own copy of 'County Churches: Surrey', 1910, by J. He later wrote that he was at first 'interested in identifying it and dating' stained glass but 'became gradually a looker rather than a cataloguer', creating his own watercolour copies and exploring the unique qualities of stained glass. Morris' County Churches: Surrey (testifying that he had visited at least 66 churches by the age of twelve) which can also be seen in this latest display. Remarkably, Piper was able to evidence this assertion with a handmade 'adjustable counter', which can be found at the front of his much-cherished copy of J. Such was his fascination, that he confidently claimed to 'have been in' every church in the county by the age of 14. Piper's lifelong interest in stained glass began as a boy, cycling through the Surrey countryside and tracing the windows of churches near his home. Light coming through an image of coloured glass.' – John Piper recounting a family holiday to Paris when he was ten years old 'My father took me into a French cathedral – Notre Dame, I think – and I received a thrilling shock at this sight of the glass. His distinctive 'Piper windows' embodied his resolve as a leading abstract artist while being true to his antiquarian interests as a medievalist, Romantic and self-professed church crawler. Perhaps, his greatest artistic achievement, however, was his innovation in stained glass design. Piper was a dedicated modernist, his work hanging alongside art by Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Ivon Hitchens, Barbara Hepworth, Georges Braque and Piet Mondrian during the 1930s. John Piper (1903–1992) River & Rowing Museum

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