Church Art Collection

The Sanford family installed a number of notable artworks and statues at All Saints Church, and many of these treasures can still be seen today. Below is a a selection of those artworks, find out more in the online Nynehead Archive

A beautiful marble sculpture depicting an angel on one knee, with his hands across his chest
Costoli Angel

Costoli Angel

In the Sanford Mortuary Chapel stands a life size figure of a male angel. Costoli of Florence carved it in marble in 1840. He was one of the best pupils of the great master Canova who carved the Three Graces. Also in the mortuary chapel is a bust carved by Costoli of Rev. John Sanford who died in 1855.


Luca and Andrea della Robbia ‘Madonnas’

Robbia was the name of a Florentine family of Renaissance artists which flourished for nearly 150 years and was known especially for their sculpture and ceramics. Luca della Robbia (1400-1482) was the first of the dynasty; Andrea his nephew, and Giovanni, son of Andrea, his grandnephew, were the other principal artists. Works by the two most notable members, Luca and Andrea, are to be found in All Saints Church. They were brought back from Italy by the Reverend John Sanford in 1833. Luca, under the tutellage of Donatello, was initially a sculptor working principally in marble and bronze, but he later developed independantly a pottery glaze that made terra-cotta more durable in the outdoors and thus suitable for use on the exterior of buildings.

It is this technique which was employed, to the ultimate benefit of anyone visiting All Saints in Nynehead. Luca Della Robbia’s glazed terra-cotta bas-reliefs, were usually white figures on a blue ground and mostly of religious subjects. Two of his most famous terra-cotta works are ‘The Nativity’, circa 1460 and ‘Madonna and Child’, circa 1475, and an example of the latter is in All Saints Church. Luca initially worked in white and blue but later added glazes of many colors, especially green and yellow on a wreath of fruits and flowers around the figures. His terra-cottas were individual pieces of art, built into walls to serve in architectural contexts. Luca’s work is noted for its charm rather than the drama seen in the work of some of his contemporaries.

A ceramic sculpture in white against a blue background, depicting Mary holding Jesus as a baby.
Luca and Andrea della Robbia ‘Madonnas’
A ceramic sculpture in white on a blue background with flowers. Mary prays over the infant Jesus, swaddled in her cloak.
Luca and Andrea della Robbia ‘Madonnas’

A statue of a bearded man shielding his eyes.
Statue of Elijah by William Joshua Giles

Statue of Elijah by William Joshua Giles

A statue of Elijah shielding his eyes carved by William Joshua Giles of Wellington (1861-1908) can be found in the North East corner of the North Transept.

William Joshua Giles was born in Courtland Road and learned his trade as sculptor in wood, stone and clay. He was the younger son of John Giles, an overlooker in the blanket-weaving shed at Messrs. Fox’s factory at Tonedale. Before this he had been a pupil of the well-known Harry Hems of Exeter.

William particularly liked using the clay from Poole brickyard for his models. He carved the pulpits at Sampford Arundel, Rockwell Green and West Buckland Churches as well as the lectern and credence table at Langford Budville church.


Copy of Michelangelo’s Moses by Barbedienne

In the north wall above the choir stalls are two arches containing figures. The bronze figure near the screen is of Moses by Barbedienne and is copied from the great statue by Michelangelo (1475-1564). Willian Sanford purchased this bronze on the 28th January 1884 from the suppliers of 25 Suffolk Street, Pall Mall, London. A Great Western Fast Goods Train delivered the bronze that day. The price of the bronze was 500fr. (£20) and the cost of transportation from Paris was 10d.

The bronze of Moses has horns but there does not seem to be any record of Moses being symbolised with horns other than in this case. It is thought that the appearance of the horns was due to a mistranslation of the Vulgate Bible. The true translation states that Moses’ face glowed as he came down from Mount Sinai. The manufacturers mark on the bronze is F. Barbedienne (1810-1892). He was a prominent Second Empire furniture manufacturer and is the best-known 19th century Parisian bronze founder. He worked for Barye and other leading sculptors. From 1839 he worked in association with Achille Collas who devised a way of producing reductions of sculptures and by 1847 had established a factory for the production of bronzes in Paris. This means the bronze of Moses was produced in the period (1840-1892).

A bronze statue of Moses, seated. Unusually he is shown with horns.
Copy of Michelangelo’s Moses by Barbedienne

A beautiful porcelein sculpture of Jesus Christ, his arms wide and welcoming in a symbolic pose.
Thorvalson’s Christ

Thorvalson’s Christ

In the right hand arch furthest from the screen is a beautiful porcelain figure of Christ. It is a copy of a statue by Thorvalson of Copenhagen and was made in 1830.


Mosaic Tablets

On the East wall on either side above the altar are two large Mosaic tablets. The tablet on the left depicts ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ and the other, shown below, is of ‘The Last Supper’. These tablets are made from marble and glass enamel. They were designed by Hardgrave and produced in 1881 by James Powell of Whitefriars at a cost of £28 and £33 respectively.

The waste of contaminated glass in the factory concerned Powell. He discovered that tiny specks of clay from the crucibles in which the glass was melted was causing the contamination. Not being one to tolerate waste, he experimented and found that this waste glass could be ground to a powder and baked. This would produce a solid material with an eggshell surface which could then be used for mosaics. The technique employed by James Powell was known as ‘Opus Sectile’. Rather than small regular shaped pieces being used to make up the picture, each piece is cut to fit a component part of the design.

A detailed mosaic tablet showing Jesus giving a sermon to his disciples.
Mosaic Tablet of The Sermon on the Mount
A detailed mosaic tablet showing Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper.
Mosaic Tablet of The Last Supper