Mariawald Stained Glass - Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK - Stained Glass Windows on Waymarking.com

The information board, beneath the panels, tells us:

STAINED GLASS FROM MARIAWALD
About 1520-30

This exceptionally fine glass comes from the cloister of a Cistercian abbey near Cologne. Two windows have been reconstructed to show how they would originally have appeared Three further panels are displayed on each side.

The monks walked past this glass on the way from their living quarters to the church The images juxtapose the events of Christ’s life with Old Testament events that pre figured them Below, praying donors are shown alongside their patron saints.

The V&A Museum website tells us:

The narrative depicted by the stained glass began at the cloister entrance, in the south-west corner, with the scene of the Annunciation (the moment when the Archangel Gabriel tells the Virgin Mary that she will bear a son). The visitor then walked clockwise around the cloister viewing the stories relating to the Life of Christ.

The windows were arranged so that these scenes fell into three sequences. The west walk was devoted to the Childhood of Christ, the north walk to the Miracles and Teachings, and the east walk to the Passion of Christ (the Crucifixion and the events leading up to it).

Each window was composed of eight stained glass panels in four rows. The bottom row depicted the donors of the window, often with their patron saints. The second row showed scenes from the Life of Christ. The third row showed events from the Old Testament. The pairing of scenes from the Old and New Testaments is known as a typology – the idea that an Old Testament event foreshadowed a New Testament event. The top row depicted Old Testament prophets holding scrolls bearing texts of prophecies relating to the events below.

In this reconstructed window the Old Testament 'type' of Jacob tempting Esau to sell his birthright is above the New Testament 'antitype' of the Devil tempting Christ. The 'type' of Naaman being healed of his leprosy by the purifying waters of the River Jordan is above the 'antitype' of Christ instituting redemption through baptism by water. It is not known whether the donor (Heinrich von Binsfield, abbot of Kornelimunster Abbey) and patron saint (Pope Cornelius) panels were originally with this particular window.

The pairing of events from the Old Testament with scenes from the Life of Christ could be found in late medieval printed blockbooks, for example the Biblia Pauperum (Bible of the Poor) and the Speculum Humanae Salvationis (Mirror of Human Salvation). These books were widely circulated as religious education texts.

Another source used by stained glass workshops was the new medium of printed copper-plate engraving. The panel showing the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan is derived from an engraving made by the artist Martin Schongauer. His work was greatly respected for its clarity of composition and was sold widely in Europe.

The museum's website also tells us about Mariawald Abbey and the story held in the glass:

Mariawald Abbey in Germany was built between 1480 and 1539. It is in a wooded area just south-west of Cologne named after a miracle-working statue of the Virgin Mary – Mariawald literally means ‘Mary forest’. From the mid-15th century onwards the statue's miracle-working powers began to draw large numbers of pilgrims. The original chapel on the site was not large enough to accommodate them, so in 1480 the nearby Cistercian monastery at Bottenbroich financed a new abbey.

Cloisters, covered walkways attached to a monastery or church and enclosing an open courtyard, are usually open at the sides, but at Mariawald Abbey the cloister had glass windows. These were made of clear and coloured glass with painted and stained details portraying events from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

The bottom row of the windows depicted the many religious leaders and prominent families of the north Rhineland who had contributed towards the cloister glass. These two panels show the family of Rabolt II von Plettenberg and his wife Margaretha Einenberg-Landskron, both from high-ranking families in the north Rhineland.

They were married in 1513 and had two sons and six daughters. The panel on the right shows Margaretha Einenberg with four of their daughters - the two youngest were not yet born. The panel on the left depicts Rabolt II with his eldest son, Rabolt III, and his wife. They were married in 1538, the same year as the second son, Engelbert, died.

If you look closely at the area behind the right leg of Rabolt III there are indications of a cushion and the drapery of a kneeling figure. It is possible that the panel originally showed both sons in their youth, just as their sisters are depicted opposite. Later, Engelbert was removed and an older Rabolt III and his wife were inserted. This probably happened at an important moment in the family's history, perhaps at Engelbert's death or Rabolt III's marriage.

During the French Revolution (1789–99) and the subsequent religious upheavals under Napoleon Bonaparte (reigned 1804–14/15), many monastic institutions in mainland Europe were secularised and their buildings sold or destroyed. Mariawald Abbey was closed in 1802, by which point the stained glass had already been removed.

The glass was bought by John Christopher Hampp of Norwich, who sold it on to various churches and private collectors in England. Many of the panels were bought by Lord Brownlow, who installed them in his new chapel at Ashridge Park, Hertfordshire. In 1928 the contents of Ashridge Park were sold at auction. A private collector bought the stained glass panels and donated them to the V&A.