Chapter I: Preface

The Cathedral verger, conducting his flock of tourists round the building, while giving them plenty of really interesting and valuable information about it (for the verger of to-day is a different man from his predecessor, and is often very intelligent and well informed), remarks briefly, "The glass is of the thirteenth century"--or fourteenth or fifteenth, as the case may be; the procession gazes carelessly at it, and passes on. Yet from out of that dazzling and glowing labyrinth of coloured jewels a past age is speaking far more articulately, if one stops to unravel the message, than ever in stone or wood, and it is for those who can be induced to take that second look which will be followed by a third and a fourth and many more that I have written this book.

It is impossible in a book of this size to give an adequate review of all the important windows even within the limits of place and time which I have set myself. I have therefore chosen for study certain typical windows in each century, and have written about them some of the things which interest me and which, I hope, will interest others.

The work of the countries and period I have chosen is of course the most important of all. There is beauty, it is true, in much Renaissance work (only a prig could resist the gaiety and charm of the windows of St. Vincent at Rouen), but it is for the most part beauty achieved in spite of, and not through, the material. There is beautiful mediæval work in Germany and Italy, but the Germans, till the Renaissance, clung to a rather lifeless and archaic convention, and the Italians were hampered by their greater knowledge of painting. The art has found its noblest expression in the work of the great school which for nearly the whole of the Middle Ages was common to France and England.

There is especial reason why we English should study the work of our own mediæval glass painters. They are the chief representatives of our primitive school of painting. It is true that there are English manuscripts in the museums, and there are the painted rood screens of Norfolk, including the superb example at Ranworth, and there is the portrait of Richard II. at Westminster; but of the painting which must once have covered the walls of our churches, there is little left but patches of faded colour clinging here and there to the plaster, and the occasional dim outline of a figure. Of our glass, on the other hand, in spite of four hundred years of destruction, a considerable quantity remains, and is worth far closer study than it has ever had.

I must gratefully acknowledge the help I have had from my brother, Mr. T. K. Arnold, especially in writing of the Canterbury glass of which he has made a very close study. My thanks are also due to Mr. Noel Heaton for information on the chemical composition of glass.

The publishers are fortunate in having been able to reproduce, for the illustrations, the very beautiful coloured drawings of Mr. Lawrence B. Saint, which are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

H. A.

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

1. THE MAKING OF A WINDOW 1

2. THE BEGINNINGS OF STAINED GLASS 11

3. THE STYLE OF THE FIRST PERIOD 29

4. TWELFTH CENTURY GLASS 41

5. EARLY THIRTEENTH CENTURY GLASS IN ENGLAND:
CANTERBURY AND LINCOLN 67

6. THIRTEENTH CENTURY GLASS IN FRANCE: SENS AND
CHARTRES 85

7. OTHER THIRTEENTH CENTURY WINDOWS. EARLY
GRISAILLE 109

8. THE STYLE OF THE SECOND PERIOD 123

9. EARLY FOURTEENTH CENTURY GLASS IN ENGLAND:
MERTON COLLEGE AND EXETER 151

10. FOURTEENTH CENTURY GLASS AT YORK 161

11. FOURTEENTH CENTURY GLASS IN FRANCE 183

12. LATE FOURTEENTH CENTURY GLASS IN ENGLAND:
TRANSITIONAL--GLOUCESTER AND THE WORK OF
THE WINCHESTER SCHOOL 195

13. THE STYLE OF THE THIRD PERIOD 211

14. FIFTEENTH CENTURY GLASS AT YORK 225

15. FIFTEENTH CENTURY GLASS IN FRANCE 241

16. MALVERN AND FAIRFORD 251

INDEX 267

ILLUSTRATIONS

PLATE

1. The Ascension Window, Le Mans. Possibly eleventh
century _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

2. Part of Crucifixion Window, Poitiers. Late twelfth
century 8

3. Methuselah, Canterbury, originally in choir clerestory.
Twelfth century 16

4. "Noë in Archa," from the north choir aisle, Canterbury.
Twelfth century 24

5. The Entombment, from the east window, Canterbury.
Twelfth or early thirteenth century 32

6. Scroll-work, from the east window, Canterbury.
Twelfth or early thirteenth century 40

7. Border, from the Trinity Chapel, Canterbury. Twelfth
or early thirteenth century 44

8. Border and Mosaic Diaper, from the Trinity Chapel,
Canterbury. Thirteenth century 48

9. Western Lancets and Rose, Chartres Cathedral.
Twelfth and thirteenth centuries 56

10. The Big Angel, from the clerestory of the apse,
Chartres Cathedral. Thirteenth century 60

11. David, from the clerestory of the apse, Chartres
Cathedral. Thirteenth century 64

12. Amaury de Montfort, from the choir clerestory,
Chartres Cathedral. Thirteenth century 72

13. The Flight into Egypt, from the south aisle, Chartres
Cathedral. Thirteenth century 76

14. Work of Clement of Chartres in Rouen Cathedral.
Late thirteenth century 80

15. The Flight into Egypt, Poitiers. Late thirteenth
century 88

16. Heraldic Panel, from the clerestory of the nave,
York Minster. Early fourteenth century 92

17. Details from windows in the north aisle of nave,
York Minster. Fourteenth century 96

18. Border and Shields, from Peter de Dene window,
north aisle of nave, York Minster, with details
from window in south aisle and sketch of clerestory
window. Fourteenth century 104

19. St. Margaret, west window of north aisle of nave,
York Minster. Fourteenth century 108

20. St. Stephen, from south aisle of nave, York Minster.
Fourteenth century 112

21. The Nativity, upper part of east window of north
aisle, All Saints', North Street, York. Fourteenth
century 120

22. St. John, from east window of south aisle, St. Martin's,
Micklegate, York. Fourteenth century 124

23. St. Barnabas, from clerestory of nave of St. Pierre,
Chartres. Early fourteenth century 128

24. St. Luke, from choir clerestory of St. Ouen, Rouen.
Fourteenth century 136

25. Window with Life of St. Gervais, from south choir
aisle, St. Ouen, Rouen. Fourteenth century 140

26. Grisaille pattern and boss from Plate 25 144

27. Bosses, from Plate 25 148

28. Borders, from Plate 25 152

29. Details, from Plate 25 160

30. Angels in canopy work of Plate 25 164

31. The Annunciation, from St. Ouen, Rouen. Fourteenth
century 168

32. Window in St. Bartholomew's Chapel, St. Ouen,
Rouen. Fourteenth century 176

33. Details, from St. Ouen, Rouen. Fourteenth century 180

34. Canopy, from All Saints', North Street, York.
Fifteenth century 184

35. Canopy, from All Saints', North Street, York.
Fifteenth century 192

36. Nicholas Blackburn and his wife, from east window
of All Saints', North Street, York. Fifteenth
century 196

37. Priest, from "Acts of Mercy" window, All Saints',
North Street, York. Fifteenth century 200

38. Kneeling Donors, from "Acts of Mercy" window,
All Saints', North Street, York. Fifteenth
century 208

39. Figure, from "Visiting the Prisoners," in "Acts of
Mercy" window, All Saints', North Street, York.
Fifteenth century 212

40. Small Figures in White and Stain, from All Saints',
North Street, York. Fifteenth century 216

41. Heads, from All Saints', North Street, York.
Fifteenth century 220

42. Head, from St. Michael's, Spurriergate, York.
Fifteenth century 224

43. Head, from St. Michael's, Spurriergate, York.
Fifteenth century 228

44. Head of an Archbishop, Canterbury. Fifteenth
century 232

45. Head of Patriarch, from window in south aisle of
nave, St. Patrice, Rouen. Fifteenth century 236

46. Head of St. Catherine, from window above altar in
north-west corner of St. Vincent's, Rouen.
Fifteenth century 240

47. Drapery from sleeve of Virgin, from west end of St.
Vincent's, Rouen. Fifteenth century 244

48. Angel's Head, from Great Rose Window in north
transept of St. Ouen's, Rouen. Fifteenth century 248

49. Angel's Head, from Great Rose Window in north
transept of St. Ouen's, Rouen. Fifteenth century 256

50. The Prophets Joel, Zephaniah, Amos, and Hosea,
from the north aisle of the nave, Fairford. Late
fifteenth century 260