λ John Piper (British 1909-1992)Foliate Head (from screen Wessex Hotel, Winchester)Watercolour and gouacheSigned (lower right)20 x 20cm (7¾ x 7¾ in.)Executed in the mid-1950s. Provenance:Marlborough Fine Art Ltd., LondonHoward Roberts Gallery, CardiffAcquired from the above by the late ownerThe stained glass window screen at the Wessex Hotel, Winchester, waspleted in 1964 and consists of 12 foliate head panels. This image was one that Piper would use throughout his life and relates to his fascination with The Green Man, a symbol of rebirth in British Folklore and other ancient cultures around the world. Indeed, Myfanwy Piper later wrote that 'Although John Piper used Foliate Heads in many different ways, in what often might be seen as a decorative idiom, the face ... is never without the mystery and vitality of its origin' mentary on John Piper Memorial Exhibition, Bohun Gallery, Henley-on-Thames, 1992).We are very grateful to Rev. Dr. Stephen Laird for his assistance in preparing the catalogue entry.