THE CHTJRCH OF ST. CLEMENI. 45 



The Fresco on the north wall represented a figure, probably St. 

 Christopher, lying on the sea-shore, with a palm-branch in his hand; 

 below him was painted the sea, with mermaids and dolphins, whilst 

 a figure was placing a wreath upon his head ; above was a church 

 with an open door, and a monk tolling a bell.* 



The Paintings on the splays of the Aisle Windows were as 

 follow : — On the first window from the doorway, a woman f'see Plate J 

 clothed in a yellow dress, over which was a scarlet cloak lined with 

 green spotted with black, and trimmed with ermine; the cloak was 

 fastened at the neck with a gold clasp. She wore a white cap, with 

 green border, and there was a nimbus around the head. She held 

 in her right hand an open book, and in her left a palm branch, and 

 with the index finger of this hand she pointed to the open book. 

 She stood on a pavement, chequered black and white ; and above 

 her head was an inscribed scroll, but the characters were illegible, 

 and all but invisible. 



The paintings at the other windows were less complete than 

 that which I have been describing. The second in. order from the 



* The following is from the Gentlemari's Magazine, of November, 1844 : 

 " As Mr. W. Pearce, Statuary, of Truro, was removing a portion of 

 plaster on the north wall of S. Clement's Church, Cornwall, for the erection 

 of a tablet, he came upon a rudely executed painting, but the colours well 

 preserved, about 12 feet by 10 feet, inclosed in a quatrefoil border. It is 

 thus described in the Western Luminary : — ' The principal figure is re- 

 cumbent, and he holds in his right hand a palm branch. By his side stands 

 a female figure in royal ermined robe, and holding a globe and cross. 

 Beneath is an antique ship, with quaint high forecastle and poop, and around 

 it are sporting a number of mermaids and dolphins. In the upper part of 

 the painting are some rude representations of Churches, and at the open 

 entrance of one of them is shown a man pulling a bell in the steeple, by 

 means of a leverage, something similar to that by which we see our smiths' 

 bellows now worked. The whole painting exhibits a thorough disregard to 

 proportion, grouping, and perspective. It is conjectured that the design of 

 the painting was to commemorate the return of Admiral Hawkins, of Tre- 

 withian, in the adjoining parish of Probus, one of the Commanders of the 

 English fleet, which conquered the "Invincible " Armada, with Queen Eliza- 

 beth welcoming him home, and his countrymen also testifying their joy at 

 his return.' This is an amusing instance of the prevalent inclination in all 

 localities to attach everything to the best remembered persons and events in 

 their history ; and also a more uncommon example of an object of antiquity 

 being post-dated instead of ante- dated. The painting was evidently the 

 very prevalent subject of St. Christopher. The upper part of his figure 

 alone seems to have been uncovered, and thus was taken to be recumbent. 

 The supposed ' female figure ' was the infant Christ, holding as usual the 

 orb and cross. The dolphins and other aquatic accessories are also the- 

 conventional features of the subject, and its identity is finally confirmed 

 by the hermit tolling his bell in the background." 



