Three windows by Harry Clarke during his student years
Crawford Art Gallery, Emmet Place, Co. Cork, Ireland , Window 3, Lights 1 : Date 1910
Consecration of St. Mel, Bishop of LongfordThere are three panels in the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery that were created by Harry when he was still a student at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art: The Consecration of St. Mel, Bishop of Longford, by St. Patrick (1910),
The Godhead Enthroned (1911), and The Meeting of St. Brendan with the Unhappy Judas (1911). Each of these panels was part of a set of entries that won Harry a gold medal at the 1911 South Kensington National Competitions in London.
The Consecration of St. Mel, Bishop of Longford (1910)
Harry exhibited the Consecration of St. Mel, Bishop of Longford, by St. Patrick panel at the Art Industries exhibition at the Royal Dublin Society, and at the Crafts Society of Ireland’s exhibition in Dawson Street in 1910.Over thirteen thousand students submitted work for examination at the South Kensington National Competitions in London. Harry won a gold medal for this stained glass panel in 1911. The examiners report stated that: A gold medal has been awarded to Harry Clarke, of Dublin, for a very remarkable effort in the highest class of art, full of vigour and character, earnest feeling, richness of conception, and great resource in design and detail – Albert G. Power (The Irish Times: August 19 1911).
The Godhead Enthroned (1911)Harry exhibited a full-length cartoon and a stained-glass panel for the Godhead Enthronedat the South Kensington National Competition in 1911. Harry’s selection of work submitted won him a gold medal at the competitions. The majestic head and shoulders of God are depicted in the Godhead Enthroned panel. The Godhead is clad in ruby robes and a large golden cloak-fastener. Symbols of the four evangelists surround him, also depicted in gold.
The Meeting of St. Brendan with the Unhappy Judas (1911)The Meeting of St. Brendan with the Unhappy Judas panel was part of the work that win Harry won his second successive gold medal at South Kensington National Competition in 1911. The panel illustrates a dramatic moment when St. Brendan the Navigator is faced with the vision of Judas. St. Brendan is depicted with two of his disciples on a stormy sea, while a wild, tormented Judas is shown enveloped in flames.