THE CROSSING
AND EAST BAY OF THE NAVE

As indicated on the plan of the Cathedral, the following bosses are coeval, forming an almost uniform stylistic group of high sculptural quality:

116 -121		western bay of the Choir (catalogued above)
172 -193		Crossing and eastern bay of the Nave (catalogued here)
262 -268		North Transept stone vault (catalogued below)
269 -275		South Transept stone vault (catalogued below)

Also included are some half-bosses on the eastern bays of the Nave Aisles: see the headings for 285A-287B (East bay of North Nave Aisle) and 320A-324B (East bay of South Nave Aisle).

All the above bosses, excluding those in the two aisle bays, were consolidated, cleaned and repaired by ACH in 1977-1981. Most of the colour now visible is original; any retouching was carried out using a resoluble medium.

Corbels K’, K, L’, M’ are listed under this section.

Six half-bosses are of an earlier period: 175A, 180A, 265A, 266A, 272A, 273A. (These, together with 191, 265, 270, retain original colour unretouched.) They are built into apices of the Tower arches constructed 1285-1286 (see Introduction); note that they are of a different stone from the adjacent great bosses.

The great bosses date from Bishop Stapledon’s time (1308-1326). Groups 116-121, 172-193, 262-275 (excluding the half-bosses, whose numbers end in “A”) surely correspond to the forty-two bosses primed as far as the gilding at Christmas 1316 and Easter 1317.122 All are Beer or Caen stone. The name of William of Montacute is mentioned in relation to certain carvings, but there is insufficient evidence to call him the Master of this group.123 More significant is the close stylistic resemblance of some of the foliage bosses in Wells Retrochoir to these at Exeter. Thomas of Witney worked in both places.124 He is first mentioned at Exeter in 1316-1317.125 As to the sculptor working under him, Bishop and Prideaux attribute these bosses to Richard Digon, William of Montacute’s successor.126 We cannot agree with their low opinion of his skill—an opinion shared by Cave.127 Richard Digon worked steadily at Exeter during 1312-1313. An entry in the Fabric Rolls records that he was paid 2/9d for “carving 2 large bosses at task”.128 That year there is a total of twenty-three payments to him, two for 2/9d and twenty-one for 2/3d.129 Perhaps the central bosses, 174, 185, 264, 271 account for the higher payments, while the rest of the aforementioned forty-two bosses plus some in the eastern bays of the Nave Aisles (see entry for bosses 285Aff and 320Aff) or corbels K’, K, L’, M’ were paid for in pairs at the lower price. Since it is unlikely that he produced two intricately worked, deeply undercut bosses each week, he presumably had assistants, which would account for some unevenness of quality: it is surprising that of all subjects, the Christ in 264 is one of the least accomplished of the group. However, just before he appears to have left Exeter in 1312, William of Montacute was also paid for one great boss,130 too late for it to belong to the Choir. Harvey gives a dating for Wells retrochoir and Lady Chapel which would be consistent with the employment of the Exeter team there after 1314 (but cf. the heading for the Towers, bosses 253A-261A).131 Work at Wells continued for some time. The above bosses having been primed at ground level in 1316-1317, they were apparently placed in the vault by 1320: in the Michaelmas Term of that year the Fabric Rolls mention “candles for the vault”,132 presumably to provide light for the painters in the shortest days of the year. Throughout 1320-1321 large purchases of gold leaf, vermilion and verdigris are recorded, i.e. those pigments used at Exeter for finishing touches: vermilion is often found crossing the mortar joins, unlike the red lead of the priming, which is underneath the mortar.

Bosses 116-120 and the east half of 121 were repainted under Gilbert Scott. The west half of 121 together with 172-183 and 262-275 retain their original colour conserved by ACH in 1977-1981, retouching being confined to the losses. The priming for this group contains white lead; the background is red lead heightened with vermilion when the bosses were in place. All foliage is gilded over a warm yellow-ochre size; stems are copper-resinate green with red on cut stumps; leaves are occasionally red where they turn over; fruit is in translucent purple iron oxide of unusually fine quality.

Two of the bosses in this section are not roof bosses, but decorate central points of the clerestory tracery in the east bay of the Nave.

In the whole Crossing area, including the Pulpitum, may be seen a kind of fusion of the differing carving styles and leaf-forms obtaining in the Presbytery and Choir. The naturalism of the Presbytery area’s treatment of botanical forms gave way to the highly formalized designs in the Choir (which may disappoint the modern eye): in the Crossing we see a marriage of the two—freedom and formalism. This gives a peculiarly satisfying result—a certain boldness which compensates for the loss of the lyricism which typifies the work of the Botanical team.  

BOSSES 172-193

The Crossing: bosses 172-183

The Crossing corbels H’, H, J’, J and their associated vaulting-shaft capitals are listed after bosses 116-121.

Eastern bay of Nave: bosses 184-193.

184		Lion attacking Manticora. Lion in various browns with black details; gold tail-tassel. Grey Manticora, black hair details, agonised ruddy-complexioned human face. Scarlet blood where lion’s claws meet Manticora’s rump. Prideaux and Shafto wrongly identify the Manticora as a lion cub.145
185		Samson Kills the Lion, with three dragons (cf. 174). Samson in green hose and buttoned sleeves, his gown and abundant hair, and the lion’s tail-tassel, gilded; black shoes. Finger-nails, cuticles, eyelashes and eyebrows detailed in translucent red ochre, red lips. Very ruddy face (almost intact), possibly some darkening from age. Lion delicately modelled in browns; black hairs round black claws; teeth white outlined in black, mouth, nostrils and genitalia scarlet. Dragons copper resinate green, the largest, attacking Samson’s back, with vermilion quills on spinal scales, and faded indigo+ wings. The two smaller dragons are visible only from the sides. It is just possible that a theological/iconographical link is intended between this boss and 174 in the centre of the Crossing, in the adjacent bay. The totally unbiblical presence of three attacking dragons almost reads as an Old Testament prefiguration of the similar, but far more forceful attack, by three large dragons, on the “New Testament” horseman.
186A		Foliage, recoloured. Beer or Caen stone.
186		Hawthorn, little retouched. Stone repair in hole.
187		Oak, hawthorn and circle of stylised foliage. The hawthorn is very small, almost facing the roof: in this area a number of bosses curve in at the top. Acorns probably once gilded.
188		Fabulous beast with lion’s body. Body probably red ochre but unusually crimson; huge golden tail tassel; large webbed ears with obvious painted pink veins, in perfect condition; mane of green scales with black edges and white quills. Violently open mouth, white teeth. This beast slightly resembles the crocodil in some bestiaries.
189		Double-bodied green dragon with four forefeet, biting lion’s gilded tail tassel. Ears dark red inside. Lion yellowish-brown, black claws; bared white teeth, red throat one and a quarter inches deep. Original mortar picked out of a masonry joint by a front claw revealed the extent of the red lead priming applied to the boss when at ground level. The same hand apparently carved misericord no. 1, the only fourteenth-century example in the set. It is often assumed that carvers did not work in both wood and stone, but evidence to the contrary exists at Exeter in this misericord, in the wooden Transept vaults (see under 253A-284A) and in the Bishop’s Throne.
190		Woman in a white wimple. Green dress, gold cuffs and hair. Pink lips; fair complexion partly overpainted at an early date: cf. corbels K, K’.
191		Foliage, no retouching except on stone repair in hole and adjacent damage.
191A		Foliage, recoloured. Beer or Caen stone.
192		Lion of various browns, evidently dappled. Much black detail e.g. whiskers, hairs round claws and ears. Scarlet nostrils and wide closed mouth. Regilding of tail tassel conjectural (the tassel is used by the Bestiary lion for erasing its footprints).
193		Young man with gilded coronet. Red lips, face retouched at early date, like190; gilded hair, and foliage on E side. No gilding on W side: collar and cuffs added 1977. Eyes very detailed. Western boss of Stapledon’s period.

NAVE CORBELS: K’, K, L’, M’

These would appear to belong to Bishop Stapledon’s time. The pair K’, K have two layers of medieval paint. The bottom layer, judged through a chip in the supporter king on K, was apparently done by the painter who created the hairy eyebrows of the king on boss 183. These corbels are on the transition between the Stapledon and Grandisson periods, directly in line with boss 193, and doubtless became damaged during the delay in continuing the building. Evidently they were carved and first painted together with the bosses above and to the east of them. The present top layer presumably dates from Grandisson’s time (cf. entry for bosses 194-202). Tristram restored them,146 and later ACH.147

L’ and M’ with their “double-jointed” supporter figures resembling bosses 183, 190, 193, seem to have been put in place ahead of their counterparts on the south side of the Nave, presumably because the North Porch had been constructed. The colour was reconstructed by ACH in 1978 from extensive original fragments.

K’		“Our Lady’s Tumbler” over a fiddler who has under his feet a pig or dog biting the base of the oak foliage.148 The tumbler is performing for the Virgin in corbel K opposite. These are two of the most intricately painted sculptures in the Cathedral. The first painting had the tumbler in scarlet, and the minstrel’s fiddle off-white including the peg-box which was outlined in black; the red strings stopped short of it, the tail-piece and bow were green and the hairs of the bow black. In the repainting, the tumbler became a deep blue, with elaborate embroideries. The tumbler has particoloured shoes and stockings. His belt is gold. The minstrel has a similar loose garment (note the slit dividing the front): it is white, edged with gold, and embroidered. His fiddle has four painted cross-shaped sound holes.
K		Virgin and Child flanked by two censing angels: the western angel and the faces of the Virgin and Child were chiselled away, presumably at the Reformation. The Virgin’s cloak was crimson in the first painting: apparently the same lake as in 264.+ Her dress was azurite blue, and the supporter king below was in scarlet. Her cloak is now white and her dress gold, both embroidered. The Child who caressed her chin has a gold tunic, formerly green. The censing angels have always been white. (See note for boss 183.)
L’		Niche resting on head of bearded king and now containing a figure of St Peter.149
M’		Niche resting on woman’s head, and now containing the Virgin (like St Peter in L’ this is datable to 1934). In both these niches the hands grasp a pair of small “corbels” which support the niches (which may possibly represent mobile processional tabernacles); cf. the hair on boss 183 and 'disjointed' arms on bosses 190, 193.

VAULTING-SHAFT CAPITALS

These are the westernmost of the short capitals: from the pair L westwards all the capitals become taller. In the pair K and eastwards the mouldings of the vaulting-shafts continue into the capital as a background to the foliage.

K’		Foliage; many colour fragments surviving.
K		Foliage.

CLERESTORY WINDOW CAPITALS

Each of these entries represents a pair of capitals: i.e. there are four capitals for each window. These capitals belong to the same group as the Transept clerestory capitals (R’- U), and notes will be found under that heading, below boss 268A.

J’   West.		Both oak and acorns.
J    West.		Vault side: haltered bear; window side: monkey riding hound.[Could these be the “2 babwins?]”150 carved by William of Montacute at Michaelmas 1312? He had just been carving two capitals, and the Crossing corbels immediately below this side of the window are convincingly attributed to him.151 The presence of the monkey may suggest that the reference is to this pair (babwin is from Old French babouin “baboon, dunce”) but there are other capital pairs in the Transepts which bear grotesque, though not so markedly comic, animals.
K’   East.		Foliage and flowers.
K    East.		Vault side: Green Man; window side: flowers and buds.
K’   West.		Foliage.
K    West.		Plain mouldings.

CLERESTORY WINDOW-SHAFT CORBELS

These are found only in this bay and in the Transepts.

J’   West.		Negroid head.
J    West.		Bearded head with curly hair; abraded Salcombe stone.
K’   East.		Owl in oak.
K    East.		Face with wide open mouth; abraded Salcombe stone.
K’   West.		Maned beast with large pointed ears.
K    West.		Head of boy with protruding tongue; abraded Salcombe stone.

CLERESTORY TRACERY BOSSES

In the centres of the window-traceries of the east bay of the Nave are two unique carvings.

186B		Curl of trailing foliage; this boss is in the centre of the tracery of the clerestory window.
191B		Crucifixion of St Andrew; this boss is in the centre of the tracery of the clerestory window, and has suffered from damp. Cf. the subject of 285.

TRIFORIUM LABEL-STOPS

The entry for the rest of the Nave Triforium is found following the Nave window capital Q’ (i.e. after boss 252A). Salcombe (or Hamdon) stone in this bay is severely eroded: it did not respond well to water-washing.

Bay J’-K’

	i		Hatted head, broken; Salcombe stone.
	ii		Man’s head; Salcombe stone.
	iii		Foliage; Salcombe stone.
	iv		Man’s head; eroded Salcombe stone.
	v		Wimpled lady with a ribbon under her nose.

    

Bay J-K

	i		Beardless head; Salcombe stone.
	ii		Beardless head; Salcombe stone.
	iii		Broken foliage; Salcombe stone.
	iv		? Woman’s head; Salcombe stone.
	v		Beardless head; Salcombe stone.