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Pardons in Brittany
2008-06-09 20:43:00
Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (French, 1852–1929)The Pardon in Brittany 1886Oil on canvas; 45 1/8 x 33 3/8 in. (114.6 x 84.8 cm)The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkPascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (1852-1929)Les Bretonnes au Pardon 1887Oil on canvas 125 x 141 cmThe Gulbenkian Museum, LisbonIn the mid 1880s and in the 1890s, Dagnan-Bouveret turned to religious themes. These became increasingly more visionary and supernatural during the early years of the 20th century. Spiritual themes reflected Dagnan's determined turn toward religious revivalism.It also reflected the powerful influence of his wife whose own devout Catholicism was influential in moving Dagnan toward some of his religious themes. Dagnan's paintings found favour due to tthe Catholic Revival in France.Both paintings have the look of exact photographic verisimilitude. They are the high point of his Naturalist technique.Dagnan-Bouveret visited Brittany in 1886 to gather first-hand information in preparati...

Bénédiction des blés en Artois
2008-06-08 23:40:00
Jules Adolphe Aime Louis Breton (1827-1906)Bénédiction des blés en Artois. (Blessing of the Wheat in Artois)1857Oil on canvas 130 cm - x 320 cmMusée des Beaux-Arts, ArrasIn the French countryside, Catholicism was closely associated with agricultural life.These processions for the blessings of seeds, harvests, requests for rain and the like were interrupted during the Revolution but restarted again in the nineteenth century.Processions outside the church whther it was for the Virgin, Corpus Christi (Fête-Dieu), local saints, were important elements in the culture of the countryside.These events involved both the clergy and the people at the one timeIn the Artois region, pilgrimages to local saints relics were very popular. According to one historian [Y.-M. Hilaire, La Vie religieuse des populations du diocèse d’Arras, 1840-1914, thèse, Paris IV, 2 vol., 1976, p. 924] parish priests in the 1860s embarked on a veritable odyssey to track down the relics of saints for their chur...

Le Pardon de Kergoat
2008-06-08 22:53:00
Jules Adolphe Aime Louis Breton (May 1, 1827 - July 5, 1906)Le Pardon de Kergoat 1891Oil on canvas 1,236 x 2,34 mMusée des Beaux-arts de Quimper, Quimper A Pardon is a Breton form of pilgrimage and one of the most traditional demonstrations of popular Catholicism in BrittanyPardons were a popular subject in 19th century French art. Local people dressed in their elaborate traditional Breton costume for the ceremoniesThe leader of the Pardon, typically a high ranking ecclesiastic, has the title of "pardonnor".Now every year (still) there is a large "pardon" to the Chapel of Notre Dame at Kergoat, near Quemeneven. It takes place on the Sunday after the 15th August. Pictures of the Church as it is today are shown below.Breton was a French Realist painter. His works include many themes with a religious content.

The Divine Mercy
2008-05-31 11:13:00
The image of the Divine Mercy originates from a vision that Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) had in Plock on February 22, 1931.In that vision Christ expressed His desire to have such an image painted and that the words in the signature beneath it be: Jezu, ufam tobie; Jesus, I trust in You.On 30th April 2000, Pope John Paul II said in his homily at the Mass for the Canonisation of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska:"Sister Faustina Kowalska wrote in her Diary: "I feel tremendous pain when I see the sufferings of my neighbours. All my neighbours' sufferings reverberate in my own heart; I carry their anguish in my heart in such a way that it even physically destroys me. I would like all their sorrows to fall upon me, in order to relieve my neighbour" (Diary, p. 365). This is the degree of compassion to which love leads, when it takes the love of God as its measure!It is this love which must inspire humanity today, if it is to face the crisis of the meaning of life, the challenge...

Beuron and The Sacred Heart
2008-05-30 23:53:00
Gabriel Wüger OSB 1829 - 1892/5/Father Lukas Steiner OSB 1849-1906Herz Jesu /The Sacred Heart of Jesus 1873-4The Conception Abbey (Missouri) website has this to say about the Beuronese School of Art and its theorist, Desiderius Lenz:"The most significant principle or canon of the Beuronese school is the role which geometry played in determining proportions.Lenz thought that sacred art should reflect the natural laws of aesthetics through formulae he believed were forgotten after the Greeks and Egyptians.Geometrical proportions determine ideal forms, and the result is an innate harmony comparable to the mathematical relationships in musical composition. ...Other canons of the school include:The orientation of the art is hieratic, speaking to the spirit of the viewer. The art itself worships and invites the viewer to join in the worship of God. As such, it should not stand out boldly of itself but be part of a worshipping environment.Works are anonymous, done by a group effort, and no...

Annigoni and Monte Cassino
2008-05-30 22:10:00
Pietro Annigoni (June 7, 1910 - October 28, 1988)Pope Victor III (Abbot Desiderius) receives from St. Benedict the Rule and the Pastoral Letter 1972Fresco 284x422,Chapel of the Vestry , Monte Cassino Abbot Desiderius (abbot 1058 - 1087), later became Pope Victor III. The monastery reached the zenith of its influence under Abbot Desiderius.Pietro Annigoni (June 7, 1910 - October 28, 1988)The Glory of St. Benedict 1979Fresco 549x391The Basilica at Monte Cassino During the Second World War, the monastery buildings complex was pulverised by aerial bombardments. Restoration followed and the monastery and basilica were re-consecrated by Pope Paul VI in 1964.The restoration work has continued since then.The distinguished artist Annigoni was only one who contributed his services.

El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
2008-05-28 23:26:00
Salvador Dalí. (1904-1989)El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús/ The Sacred Heart of Jesus 1962Oil on canvas 86.5 x 61 cmPrivate collection "When we practise this devotion, not only do we recognize God's love with gratitude but we continue to open ourselves to this love so that our lives are ever more closely patterned upon it. God, who poured out his love "into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (cf. Rom 5: 5), invites us tirelessly to accept his love.The main aim of the invitation to give ourselves entirely to the saving love of Christ and to consecrate ourselves to it (cf. Haurietis Aquas, n. 4) is, consequently, to bring about our relationship with God.This explains why the devotion, which is totally oriented to the love of God who sacrificed himself for us, has an irreplaceable importance for our faith and for our life in love. "Pope Benedict XVI, Letter on the 50th anniversary of Haurietis Aquas (15 May 2006 )1856 Blessed Pope Pius IX extended the Feast of the...

Art is Global
2008-05-28 19:08:00
Miao Xiaochun b.1964The Last Judgement in Cyberspace - Front View 2006C-Print 279 x 240 cmMiao Xiaochun b.1964The Last Judgement in Cyberspace -The Below View 2006C-Print 289 x 360 cmMiao Xiaochun b.1964The Last Judgement in Cyberspace -The Side View 2006C-Print 320 x 120 cmMiao Xiaochun b.1964The Last Judgement in Cyberspace -The Rear View 2006C-Print 288 x 240 cmMiao Xiaochun b.1964The Last Judgement in Cyberspace -The Vertical View 2006C-Print 120 x 354 cm The Saatchi Gallery in London has at present an Exhibiition on contemporary Chinese art which is fascinating.It is entitled THE REVOLUTION CONTINUES: NEW CHINESE ARTWorld attention has focused on the economic development and massive cultural upheavals of China, especially prior to the 2008 OlympicsThe world is only beginning to wake up to Chinese art.Truly due to international trade, travel, media and the Internet, art has become global.Influences from the West have influenced and do influence Chinese artists and vice versa.Wi...
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Consolation
2008-05-27 23:22:00
Jean-Georges Cornelius (1880-1963). Bois.Consolation Oil on woodMusée eucharistique du Hiéron, Paray Le Monial The original Museum of the Eucharist was inaugurated in 1894 at the shrine town of Paray Le Monial. The term "Hiéron" is derived from a Greek term meaning "sacred art".

Sacré-Coeur
2008-05-26 23:03:00
Said to be the largest mosaic in the world at 475 square metres, the great mosaic in the chancel of the Basilique du Sacré-C?ur de Montmartre depicts the Sacred Heart of Jesus glorified by the Catholic Church and by France.The mosaic was designed by the French painter Luc-Olivier Merson.The mosaic took from 1900 to 1922 to be executed.For a closer inspection of each detail of the mosaic see also:Luc-Olivier Merson : Mosaïques du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre

Images of the Sacred Heart
2008-05-26 17:36:00
Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (22 July 1647 ? 17 October 1690) who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form was prevailed upon to produce images for the devotion to the Sacred Heart. In her autobiography, the saint describes her first attempts on 20th July 1685 at producing an image. The original is in the Convent of the Visitation in Turin. The monastery at Paray had given it to the Convent on 7th October 1738 as the Convent which had been founded by St Francis de Sales was favoured by the Dukes of Savoy.The word "Charitas" is inscribed in gold letters in the middle. The second image was produced by the Saint in September 1686. It was sent by the saint to Mother de Soudeilles in Moulins. She gave two images: one a large image for placing by a crucifix; the other much smaller which could be carried about for peronal devotion.The original is in the Monastery of the Visitation at Nevers.
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Batoni: The Artist of the Sacred Heart
2008-05-26 14:01:00
Chapel of the Sacred Heart , Church of the Gesu, Rome with the Oil on copper painting of the Sacred Heart painting of the Sacred Heart (1767) by Battoni and Domenico Maria Saverio Calvi Just finished at The National Gallery in London (18th May 2008) is an exhibition of the paintings of Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787), "Italy`s Last Old Master". See here.In his day Pompeo Batoni was the most celebrated painter in Rome and one of the most famous in Europe.But only two years after his death in 1787, Sir Joshua Reynolds predicted that Batoni's name would quickly fall into oblivion - and he was absolutely right.Throughout the 19th and for most of the 20th centuries few artists were more completely forgotten - or, if remembered, more thoroughly despised.Amongst his many achievements was to provide a series of paintings that could be used as a model for religious art.His representations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were perhaps essential in the popularisation and spread of the devotion.One of th...
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Prophetic Voice ?
2008-05-26 13:53:00
The controversial Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid [Christopher Murray Grieve, b. August 11, 1892, Langholm - September 9, 1978, Edinburgh] attempted to revive the Scottish language in poetry as a means of asserting Scotland's artistic independence and re-invigorating a literature suffering from sentimentality.He often mourned the fact that his fellow countrymen seemed so obsessed with football rather than culture.In 1935, he wrote the poem Glasgow 1960. Set in the future, MacDiarmid imagines the narrator as a Scottish exile returning to Glasgow. He discovers to his delight that in his absence there has been a cultural transformation.Glasgow, 1960Returning to Glasgow after long exileNothing seemed to me to have changed its style,Buses and trams all labelled 'To Ibrox'Swung past tight as they'd hold with folks.Football match, I concluded, but just to make sureI asked; and the man looked at me fell dour,Then said, 'Where in God's name are you frae, sir?It'll be a record gate, but ...
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Why visit a Monastery ?
2008-05-24 23:08:00
Extract of the Speech of Pope Benedict XVI at Heiligenkreuz Abbey, the Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, on Sunday, 9 September 2007The monastery has existed without interruption since its foundation in 1133, and is thus the oldest continuously occupied Cistercian monastery in the world (the second oldest after Rein Abbey)."The soul of prayer, ultimately, is the Holy Spirit. Whenever we pray, it is he who ?helps us in our weakness, interceding for us with sighs too deep for words? (Rom 8:26).Trusting in these words of the Apostle Paul, I assure you, dear brothers and sisters, that prayer will produce in you the same effect which once led to the custom of calling priests and consecrated persons simply ?spirituals? (Geistliche).Bishop Sailer of Regensburg once said that priests should be first and foremost spiritual persons. I would like to see a revival of the word ?Geistliche?.More importantly, though, the content of that ...
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A Young Benedict
2008-05-24 21:56:00
Montserrat Gudiol b. 1933The Young Saint Benedict of Nursia 1980Oil on canvasThe Basilica of Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain One of the most beautiful (of the many) things to see at the Shrine of Our Lady at Monserrat, near Barcelona is a very large modern and extremely striking painting by the Catalonian artist, Montserrat Gudiol. It is of the young St Benedict of Nursia.The painting was commissioned to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the birth of St Benedict, the patron saint of Europe.It was the introduction of modern art to the shrine complex.It shows Saint Benedict dressed in the black habit of the Benedictines.In about the year 500, Benedict became so upset by the immorality of society in Rome that he gave up his studies there and chose the life of an ascetic monk in the pursuit of personal holiness, living as a hermit in a cave near the rugged region of SubiacoSolitary, energetic, austere, and committed in his beliefs. In his hands he holds the Rule he wrote to order ...

Faith and Foreign Policy
2008-05-24 21:02:00
On Tuesday 12 February 2008 in Belfast as part of a series of Talks on faith in public life, HM Ambassador to the Holy See Francis Campbell delivered a lecture entitled 'Faith and Foreign Policy ' .He explained why ``to understand the world in which we live, we have to comprehend religion as a source of influence and motivation in peoples lives.'He set the context by looking first at foreign policy and religion more generally; then why religion was often ignored in foreign policy considerations; and why it now deserves to be taken seriously and in a balanced perspective.In light of the forthcoming Papal Encyclical, the second part of the Ambassador`s speech makes interesting reading.The second part of the talk focused on the practical application of religion and foreign policy: International Development as an example of one area of engagement with the world of faith in which faith communities can play a major part."It is an area which shows the new dimension to foreign policy and ...
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Big is not always Best
2008-05-24 16:48:00
Peter von Cornelius, (b. 1783, Düsseldorf, d. 1867, Berlin)The Last Judgment (1836-39)Fresco 60' 5" high and 37' 3" wideLudwigskirche Munich The largest fresco in the world was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. It stands in the church also commissioned by the King: the Ludwigskirche in MunichThe fresco decorations were for the most part designed and executed by von CorneliusThe king had championed Cornelius, whom he had first met in Rome in 1818. Cornelius was a leading member of the Lukasbund (Brotherhood of St. Luke), a fraternity of young German artists who were to be the founders of the Nazarene Movement.Cornelius courageously based his painting on the Last Judgment by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. Twenty years after his first sight of the Michelangelo masterpiece, von Cornelius was given an opportunity to execute his long held ambition: to paint a Last Judgment.However the differences with the Michelangelo work are apparent: static and abstract rather than dynam...

Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle and St Philip Neri
2008-05-24 14:06:00
Jacques Sarazin or Sarrazin (1588/90 ? December 3, 1660)Funeral Monument to the Heart of Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle (including panel of the Mass of St Philip Neri ) 1653-1657MarbleMusée du Louvre, Paris Jacques Sarazin or Sarrazin (1588/90 ? December 3, 1660) was a French sculptor and painter, but is less known for his paintings.His best-known work was the decoration of the great portal and the dome of the western facade of the interior court of the Louvre.He exercised great influence on 17th century art and was one of the founders of L'Académie royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1648The work above is the centotaph for the heart of Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle (1575-1629), originally commissioned for the Sainte-Madeleine Chapel of the Great Convent of the Carmelites in Paris.Cardinal de Bérulle was a French cardinal and statesman, one of the most important mystics of the 17th century in France, and founder of the French school of spirituality.Amongst his friends and disciples were ...

St Hildegard
2008-05-23 22:56:00
Father Paulus Krebs OSB 1849 -1935St Hildegard founds the monastery at Eibingen and heals a blind boy in Rüdesheim [detail] 1907-1913FrescoThe Abbey Church of St Hildegard. Eibingen "[T]he church was consecrated on September 7th, 1908. Between 1907 and 1913 the interior of the church was painted, a project led by Fr Paulus Krebs (1849-1935) of Beuron, a student of the famous artist-monk Fr Desiderius Lenz (1832-1928), the founder of the Beuron School of Art.The abbey church at Eibingen is considered his most important work and one of the best complete compositions of the Beuron School of Art. The Abbey Church of St Hildegard was modelled on the old basilicas in the Romanesque style. ...The paintings in the arches of the northern (left) side wall of the nave are dedicated to the Abbey's patron, St Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). As Fr Paulus Krebs considered himself the "painter of St Hildegard", the paintings were executed with a special love and devotion. ...[The paintings] are n...

Mary: A Fresco at Beuron
2008-05-23 22:38:00
Father Paulus Krebs OSB 1849 -1935The Glorification of Mary 1898-1904FrescoGnadenkapelle, Abteikirche St. Martin, Beuron

Beuron
2008-05-23 22:19:00
Brother Gabriel Wüger OSB (1829-1892)St Benedict 1868-70(Design by Desiderius Lenz (1832-1928))FrescoSt.-Maurus-Kapelle, Beuron (Donautal) The Beuron art school was founded by a confederation of Benedictine monks in Germany in the late nineteenth centuryThe early leaders of the school were Maurus Wolter the founder of the Abbey with his brother Placidus Wolter, Father Desiderius Lenz and Gabriel Wuger. Several Benedictine artists worked within the school, including Jan Verkade (18 September 1868 - 19 July 1946). Verkade was one of Les Nabis before entering the Benedictine order.Lenz elaborated the philosophy and canon of the new school of painting.In his apostolic letter Archicoenobium Casinense (1913), Pope St. Pius X likened the artistic efforts of the Benedictines of Beuron to the revival of Gregorian chant by the Benedictines of Solesmes. He said: "...together with sacred music, it proves itself to be a powerful aid to the liturgy"

Some Argentine art
2008-05-22 20:33:00
Alejandro Xul Solar (1887-1963)Dos anjos (Two angels) 1915Watercolour on paper. 36 x 27 cmThe Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Xul Solar was the adopted name of Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari , the Argentine painter, sculptor, and writerIn 1912 he travelled to Europe and lived in many different cities but mainly in Italy.

La Fête-Dieu (or Corpus Christi)
2008-05-21 23:59:00
Alexandre ANTIGNA (1817-1878)La Fête-Dieu 1855Oil on canvas 140 cm - 195 cmMusée d'Orsay (Paris) In France and other Western countries, the middle of the 19th century was distinguished by a new religious sensibility.The Church encouraged this by encouraging the celebration of religious feast days.In France, the celebration of Corpus Christi (known as la Fête-Dieu) was particularly encouraged. One of the centre pieces of the festival was a procession of the Blessed Sacrament on a carpet of petals placed down by children.Until 1845 paintings of Alexandre Antigna were generally religious scenes and portraits. Then paintings of the urban poor also became his subjects. He was a pupil of Paul DelarocheBy the 1848 Revolution Antigna was devoted to the Realist style, and continued to paint in this manner until1860 when he began to produce paintings in the Naturalist style.

Christ and Sinner
2008-05-21 21:10:00
Henryk Siemiradzki (1843-1902)Christ and Sinner. The First Meeting of Christ and Mary Magdalene. 1873.Oil on canvas. 550 x 350 cm.The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Henryk Siemiradzki (1843-1902) was a Polish Academic painter. He was particularly known for his depictions of scenes from the ancient Graeco-Roman world and the New Testament.From 1864 until 1870 he studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Saint-Petersburg. There he was to become an adherent of the academic classicism taught there.He also studied at Munich under Piloty. Later he went to Rome, where he permanently settled.Christ and Sinner. The First Meeting of Christ and Mary Magdalene (1872), brought him success and European fame. In his works, landscape is an important feature which unites the charatcters and theme. He painted several paintings on this theme.His body is now in the national Pantheon on Ska?ka in Kraków.

Cedars of Lebanon
2008-05-21 19:04:00
Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka (1853, Kisszeben - 1919, Budapest)The Solitary Cedar 1907Oil on canvas, 194 x 248 cmJanus Pannonius Museum, PécsTivadar Csontváry Kosztka (1853, Kisszeben - 1919, Budapest)Pilgrimage to the Cedars in Lebanon 1907Oil on canvas, 200 x 205 cmHungarian National Gallery, Budapest In 1907, Kosztka travelled to Lebanon. The cedars of Lebanon appear to have more than caught his attention.The Lebanon Cedar is an evergreen coniferous tree growing up to 40 m (130 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) diameterJewish priests were ordered by Moses to use the bark of the Lebanon Cedar in circumcision and treatment of leprosy.Isaiah used the Lebanon Cedar as a metaphor for the pride of the world.According to the Talmud, Jews once burned Lebanese cedar wood on the Mount of Olives to announce the new year.Kings far and near requested the wood for religious and civil buildings including King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem and David's and Solomon's Palaces.Reference...

Praying Saviour
2008-05-20 21:53:00
Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka (1853, Kisszeben - 1919, Budapest)Praying Saviour 1903Oil on canvas, 100 x 82 cmJanus Pannonius Museum, Pécs "The angular figure of the Saviour is standing in the middle isolated from everything and everybody. He is raising up his hands as if praying or preaching. The group of the twelve apostles are looking out of the picture.Dr. Rezs? Pertorini, author of the Csontváry pathogaph, grouped them as people shouting, "Crucify him," as if they were a choir in a Greek tragedy.Faces are suggestive, those of the Saviour and Moses are expressive. The picture condenses events.Moses is standing with stone tablets on the left. The silhouette of a town can be seen in the background, it is Jerusalem.On the right, there is a thin tree with a block of stone at its foot with two black figures on it.Behind the tree, there is a modern church which is lit: it can be approached on a steep slope.Next to it, there are three columns with winged sculptures and a domed building on ...

Mary`s Well
2008-05-20 21:36:00
Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka (1853, Kisszeben - 1919, Budapest)Mary 's Well at Nazareth 1908Oil on canvas, 362 x 515 cmJanus Pannonius Museum, Pécs A great Hungarian artist, but sadly affected by schizophrenia.From 1890 onwards he traveled around the world. He visited Paris, the Mediterraneum (Dalmatia, Italy, Greece), North Africa and the Middle East (Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Syria) and painted pictures. His symbolic paintings of mysterious atmosphere were painted in the Middle East.He painted his major pictures between 1903 and 1909. Sadly, after 1909, he hardly painted due to amongst other things his medical condition.Ignored during his lifetime, his reputation ascended after his death. After his death, an entire museum in Pécs, Hungary, was and is devoted to his paintingsHis vision of the world is both tormented and idyllic. Picasso saw an exhibition of his work and referred to him as the "other" artistic genius of the 20th century.Mary's Well is a modern public fountain in Naza...

Art Criticism
2008-05-20 20:25:00
Gabriel Cornelius von Max (1840 - 1915)Monkeys as Judges of Art 1889Oil on canvas, 84,5 x 107,5 cmNeue Pinakothek, Munich, GermanyGabriel Cornelius von Max (1840 - 1915) studied at the Prague Academy and thereafter, starting 1858, at the Academy in Vienna, Max travelled to Munich in 1863 and then to Paris where he was inspired by Gustave Courbet and Éduard Manet.Essentially a Symbolist painter but as the above painting shows he did not lack a sense of humour.He surrounded himself with a family of monkeys, which he painted often.
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Ehret die frauen
2008-05-19 21:43:00
Marianne Stokes (1855-1927)/ Morris and Company (Merton Abbey)Ehret die Frauen (Honour the Women) 1912Tapestry 174 x 256 cmWhitworth Art Gallery , Manchester The theme is inspired by Friedrich von Schiller's 1796 poem Wurde der frauen (Woman's worth).A group of figures represents (from left to right): Courage, Caring, Love, Wisdom and Fidelity.The verse, designed in gothic type, reads:Ehret die frauen sie flechten und meben ? himmlische rosen ins irdische leben(Honour the women, thy wife and weave heavenly roses into earthly life).

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
2008-05-19 21:17:00
The Times reports that today that as expected, the House of Commons has approved the most controversial measures contained within the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill In other words measures which other countries have refused to permit will be allowed within the United Kingdom."An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would have outlawed the creation of ?human admixed embryos? for medical research was defeated in a free vote by a majority of 160, preserving what Gordon Brown regards as a central element of the legislation.The Government, however, is braced for defeat tomorrow on a separate clause that would scrap the requirement that fertility clinics consider a child?s ?need for a father? before treating patients. MPs will also tomorrow consider amendments that would cut the legal limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 22 or 20 weeks.A second amendment, that would have banned the creation only of ?true hybrids? made by fertilising an animal egg with human...