Stained Glass Fragments

A collection of biscuits made to look like stained glass window fragments. There are six larger biscuits featuring different faces: a woman looking downwards with sad eyes; a griffin-like creature with wings and a long neck; an old man with long facial hair; a woman with golden hair and a simple tiara; a bald man painted in monochrome; a man with mournful eyes, curled hair, and a vivid yellow background. The larger biscuits are surrounded by a scattering of smaller fragments. There is a bright blue semi-circular shard painted with a leaf pattern, and a jewel-red fragment in a triangular shape. Other small biscuits have bold black-and-white patterns made up lines, circles, and floral shapes. Many of the biscuits are made to look dirty and scratched.

Biscuit (cookie) flavour: Orange, cardamom, and vanilla

Decoration: Royal icing base. All designs painted onto royal icing by hand using food colouring gels and vodka. Scratch marks created using a sgraffito technique.

Context: Inspired by some of the 30,000 stained glass fragments found a few years ago in Westminster Abbey’s triforium. The real fragments are now on public display near the entrance of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries. You can find out more about the history of these objects here, and their conservation here.