Mb. C, Heath Wilson oh Glass Faintiny. 313 



painted windows of this style, aud the rays of the sun pass through 

 them with a tempered fervour, which, as an old writer quaintly 

 remarks, "est une grande commodite pour ceux que se trouvent en priere 

 claus TEglise." The leads are numerous and narrow, the iron frame- 

 work, which takes the form of, and marks out the panels in the medal- 

 lion or legendary windows, is strong, dividing the design by vigorous 

 black lines, which have an admirable effect, and give, by contrast, bril- 

 liancy to the glass 



I had the gratification of seeing, besides many other continental 

 specimens, the wonderful series of thirteenth century windows in 

 Chartres Cathedral last summer. By the selection of deep colours and 

 their harmonious arrangement in those of the nave, a quiet twilight 

 reigns in this part of the church, gradually dissipated as we approach 

 the transept. The lower windows here are filled with gigantic figures 

 of prophets, in deep rich tones, above which are the prodigious rose 

 windows, ab least thirty-two feet in diameter each, from which a har- 

 monious irridescent light is transmitted downwards, magical in its 

 beauty. In the chapels round the choir a luminous obscurity prevails. 

 There is an alternation of coloured and grisaille windows, producing this 

 solemn effect — an arrangement which I strongly recommended for the 

 lower church, or ci-ypt as it is erroneously called, of our own Cathedral. 

 The sanctuary is surrounded by windows of the most brilliant hues, in 

 which Christ and his apostles appear in a torrent of rainbow light. 

 Such is the great poem which the genius of the thirteenth century has 

 left us in this unequalled series, when one thought, one tradition, directed 

 all who worked in glass; hence that unity, that harmony, which has 

 never since been equalled, and which, in our time, it appears to be a 

 principal object to banish ; so little true sentiment and true feeling for 

 art prevails, and so little self-sacrifice, each donor apparently thinking 

 not of the shrine and its dedication, but of himself. I speak of what has 

 been done in our date in every cathedral in the land except our own. In 

 it, thanks to higher feelings, the old principle of unity will be revived. 



The painted glass of the next or decorated style is not so rich, and 

 has a less happy harmony and intensity of colour. This is to be attri- 

 buted to two principal causes : first, the gradual introduction of larger 

 pieces of glass ; and, secondly, tlie much greater use of white and 

 yellow: the yellow stain being invented early in the fourteenth centvuy, 

 was copiously used, particularly in the architcctm-al forms and orna- 

 ments, displacing, in a considerable measure, the richly coloured geo- 

 metric patterns of the older manner ; thus white and yellow became 

 prominent in the general effect of colour, — the rubies, sapphires, and 

 other powerful colours were limited to the figures, backgrounds, 

 borders, and to the soffits, panels, and spandrils of the canopies. The 



