Looking Back: A new window for St Luke's
29 July 2025
The Box selected Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes (b. 1972) to create a new east window for St Luke’s Church in 2019 after she represented her country at the prestigious Venice Biennale. Her commission took us on a journey that connected contemporary art, European craftsmanship, a 17th century female scientist/artist, and our historically important Cottonian Collection.
St Luke’s was built in 1828 and began life as a chapel of ease to the later bombed Charles Church. It was home to a thriving parish for 140 years until the Second World War after which many local residents moved to new post-war housing estates outside the city centre.
The large east window in the church was originally unveiled in 1888 with a design that showed the Nativity and the Adoration of the Shepherds and the Magi. In the late 1960s it was removed and reinstalled in St Matthias Church, North Hill. The space it left remained unglazed and boarded over until the development of The Box.
For her commission Leonor drew inspiration from the marbled end papers of an 18th century book in The Box’s historic Cottonian Collection. The book is called ‘Insects of Surinam’ and contains the work of world famous botanical illustrator and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717). In 1699, Merian travelled with her daughter, on a dangerous two-year trip to Surinam, South America to research insects in their natural habitats. Often described as ‘a woman of both art and science’, the illustrations she made are one of the reasons she is still so well respected today. You can find out more in our blog post here.
In these images you can see the boarded up window, Leonor's original design proposal, the end papers and part of the window being fabricated.
To realise her vibrant fused glass creation Leonor had to work within the stonework and tracery of the original window and collaborate with The Box’s architects, building contractors and stonemasons. The fabrication of the window was led by Mader Glas, a specialist glass studio based in Zurich, Switzerland. It was the first time Leonor had worked on a glass window so it was a milestone for her as well as The Box!
At the time Leonor said:
My commission began with a visit to The Box’s offsite store where I was captivated by the Cottonian Collection, and in particular the books that are part of it. I was interested in revealing and enlarging a fragment of Maria Sibylla Merian’s book - amplifying what seems a minor detail and seeing it enlarged. Like all my projects, the other important aspect for me is the fabrication. Some of the work Glas Mäder have produced is incredible and after visiting their studio I knew the window had to be made with them. The window uses a fused glass technique so the finish will not be graphic or flat, but vibrant and almost sculptural.
Leonor's site visit and tour of the stores took place in mid-2019. The window was produced by Mader Glas in late 2019/early 2020 before being installed in St Luke's during February 2020. In these images you can see Leonor looking at the Maria Sybilla Merian volume with our curators, a site visit by Mader Glas and the near completion of the install. You can also watch a video here showing how the window was measured in late 2018 in preparation for the commission.
The approach Leonor takes to her work was a great fit for our window brief. We were looking for a design that would be sympathetic to St Luke's and its history, but also make a statement. We love its vibrant colours, the way it responds to the space it occupies, and its connections to an important art collection and botanical artist.
In addition to the window commission, Leonor was the first artist to have an exhibition in St Luke's when The Box eventually opened in September 2020 (our original date was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic). You can listen to her talking about it in our artist interview and 'A Closer Look' video.
Enjoyed this post? Why not take a look at our other 'Looking Back' summary about the day Mildred the woolly mammoth arrived at The Box?