86 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[March, 



STAINED GLASS. 



At a meeting of the Decorative Art Society, on the 27tli Jan., Mr. Fildes 

 in the chair, Mr. F.. Cooper, " On Stnined Glass Windows," ohservecj, 

 that a conihinalion of the Italian, or Renaissance, with Gothic embellish- 

 ment, took place during the r.M;;n of Henry VII [., as seen in the chapel of 

 Bishop West, at Ely, and in Wolsey's hall, at Hampton Court, whilst, in- 

 deed, the pure Italian architectural design by Torregiauo, in the tomb of 

 Henry VII., as well as the windows, carved stalls, and organ-screen, in 

 King's College Chapel, Cambridge, belong to this period. Some tine ex- 

 amples of Italian decorations, in the paintings by Holbein, at Hampton 

 Court, were also referred to. He enlarged upon tliese tircutnstances, lest 

 he might be supposed to have anticipated by a century the introduction of 

 the revival more usually attributed to Inigo Jones. A detailed description 

 of the win.i'ovvs at King's College, Cambridge, followed ; and the east 

 window of Saint Margaret's church, Westminster, was, in his opinion, de- 

 signed by the same artist : an examination of this window will convey a 

 correct notion of those at Cambridge. It was said, that this had been exe- 

 cuted at Gouda, in Holland ; at which place may be seen some of the 

 finest examples of stained glass in existence : they are in the style of the 

 revival, nilh a considerable portion of white glass in the background, and 

 were painted towards the end of the sixteenth century. Some elaborate 

 engravings of them, just completed by Mr. Weale, were referred to. The 

 eastern window of Saint George's, Hanover-square, is also of this period. 

 Much of the detail was said to be valuable, although a confused effect 

 arises from the ornamental portion overpowering the figures. 



Mr. Cooper then remarked, that the windows of the sixteenth century 

 have a peculiar character in the imperfectly attained perspective effects, 

 and the attempts to represent distances by painting ; hence exhibiting a 

 departure from the true principles of the art. He observed, that all figures 

 should be sciijported by draperied or diapered back-grounds, admitting 

 depth in colour. The windows of King's College chapel might be con- 

 sidered beautiful, rather from the rich colours of the glass than from the 

 artistic merit in the application of colours to the design, which can only be 

 made out after some little study. During the 13th, 14th, and l.'uh cen- 

 turies, one uniform tone of colour pervaded the background ; and as one 

 of the finest examples of this class, the window of the north transept of 

 Canterbury Cathedral was referred to. It displays a glowing brilliancy 

 not subsequently attained. 



In the rei^n of Elizabeth, stained glass was largely introduced in man- 

 sions, exhibiting herdldic devices and mottoes. The 17th century led to a 

 notice of several windows by Van Linge, that in Lincoln'siun cha-iel being 

 a good example of this artist's productions. Others were enumerated, 

 which belong to the I8th century, but they were not considered worthy of 

 commendation, having been, for the most part, treated as an oil-painting, 

 and with a preponderance of shadow on a transparent medium. At the 

 present day, Mr. Cooper observed, there is a return to the practice of me- 

 diaeval glaziers, in the employment of flashed glass and pot-metals together 

 with minute lead-work. The east window of Saint James's Church, Pic- 

 cadilly, he thought creditable in respect of glazing and richness of tone in 

 the colours ; but a higher degree of artis'ic merit misht have been readily 

 obtained. A proper gradation of colour in the composition had not been 

 observed ; the most elevated figure, viz., that of the Saviour ascending, 

 being inconsistently clothed in scarlet, and which, the reader argued, 

 should have been represented in drapery of the most aijrial description. 

 Much controversy and criticism had taken place upon the the character of 

 this window. He said that he could not detect any Gothic details in the 

 window as executed ; that tlie borders are Italian, from works by RafTaelle, 

 G. Uouiano, and others, and may be seeu in Gruner's work. The borders 

 of mosaic-work impart a Byzantine feeling, whilst the various symbols and 

 emblems iniroduced were commonly employed by the earlyl talian Christians. 

 He considered that we may expect success in direct imitations of the me- 

 diaeval works, as seen in new windows in the Temple Church, where tlie 

 colours and glazing are alike good, and the tableaux, or subjects, being 

 small, do not render any impropriety of intensity conspicuously objection- 

 able. 



The east window of the new church in Wilton-place was next noticed as 

 a misunderstanding of this kind of decoration. It is not yet completed ; 

 but in the lower portion a failure was said to be clearK indicated. The 

 intention of the designer, the writer supposed to be akin to those prevalent 

 during the transition period, when the inlroducliun of a series of small and 

 separate subjects illuftiative of history was aimed at; but omitting the 

 principal charm arising from t'le harmonious and rich glow emanating from 

 a cuniliinalion of full-toned colours. The figures in this window were then 

 described as small, on light or while grounds, producing a spotted ell'ect 

 from their size, and also precluding tlie possibility of readily making out 

 the subject ; added to which, eac h figure, or group, is surmounted by ta- 

 bernacle-woik in pale yellow glass, feebly contrasting withthe stone mul- 

 lions of the window. He then argued, that one of two rules should be 

 observed,— citlier a rich general ellect sliould he produced (the design or 

 subjects being ?..l)ordinate), or the subject should be well defined, and suf- 

 ficiently large to be well understood iu any part of the building. Neither 

 of which had been regarded in this last instance. 



One great cause of failures at the present day was attributed to the art 

 being regarded as a mere trade ; and it was contended, that were aitisis 

 of eminent talent to devote atleuliou to the principles which regulated the 



application of colour to this material, we might soon realise our brightest 

 expectations. Much might be hoped for from the great advance taking 

 place in chemical information. The writer suggested improvements that 

 he believed had not yet been applied to stained-glass windows. One was 

 to introduce " lights" in the representation of objects. Shadow had been 

 freely used, but he argued, that dark shadowing constitutes a great fault. 

 The best effects in a picture generally arise from the lights. By using 

 flashed glass and a partial removal of the coloured surface these might be 

 produced. Another plan by double glazing was mentioned, using two 

 plates of flashed glass of ditlerent colours, and subjected to certain modifi- 

 cations by grinding or arid. Specimens illustratiug these considerations 

 were exhibited. 



By these and other means that might be suggested, together with an 

 avoidance of aerial perspective, a superior pictorial effect would result ; 

 and he concluded his paper by a brief recapitulation of the leading charac- 

 teristics of the design and colouring peculiar to each of the centuries which 

 had been passed under review. 



CENTRAL SUN. 



At the Royal Irish Academy, Sir W. Hamilton announced the presumed 

 discovery, by Prof. Madlkr, of "u Central Sun," and exhibited Prof. 

 Midler's essay on the subject (Die Central Sonne, Dorpat, 1840), The 

 following report, containing a sketch of the results arrived at, and which 

 were briefly stated to the meeting, we take from the Dublin Erening^ 

 Post :— 



" By an extensive and laborious comparison of the quantities and direc- 

 tions of the proper motions of the stars in various parts of the heavens, 

 combined with indications afforded by the parallaxes hitherto determined, 

 and with the theory of universal gravitation. Prof. Madler has arrived at 

 the conclusion that the Pleiades form the central group of our w hole astral 

 or sidereal system, including the Milky Way and all the brighter stars, 

 but exclusive of the more distant nebula;, and of the stars of which those 

 nebulae may be composed. And within this central group itself he has 

 been led to fix on the star Alcyone (otherwise known by the name of Eta 

 Tauri), as occupying exactly or nearly the position of the centre of gra- 

 vity, and as entitled to be called the central sun. Assuming Bessel's 

 parallax of the star 61 Cygni, long since remarkable for its large proper 

 motion, to be correctly determined, Jladler proceeds lo form a first approxi- 

 mate estimate of the distance of this central body from the planetary or 

 solar system ; and arrives at the (provisional) conclusion, that Alcyone is 

 about S4,000,000 times as far removed from us, or from our own sun, as 

 the latter luminary is from us. It would therefore, according to this esti- 

 mation, be at least a million times as distant as the new planet of which 

 the theoretical or deductive discovery has been so great and beautiful a 

 triumph of modern astronomy, and so striking a confirmation of the law 

 of Newton. The same approximate determination of distance conducts 

 to the result that the light of the central sun occupies more than five cen- 

 turies in travelling thence to us. The enormous orbit which our own sun, 

 with the earth and the other planets, is thus inferred to be describing about 

 that distant centre — not indeed under its influence alone, but by the com- 

 bined attraction of all the stars which are nearer to it thau we are, and 

 which are estimated to amount to more than 117,000,000 of masses, each 

 equal to the total mass of our own solar system, — is supposed to require 

 upwards of 18.00i),OUO of years for its complete description, at the rale of 

 about eight geographical miles in every second of time. The plane of this 

 vast orbit of the suu is judged to have an inclination of about til degrees 

 lo tlie ecliptic, or to llie place of the annual orbit of the earth ; and the 

 longitude of the ascending node of the former orbit on the latter is con- 

 cluded to be nearly 237 degrees. The general conclusions of Madler re- 

 specting the constilution of the whole system of the fixed stars, exclusive 

 of the distant nebulae, are the following :— He believes that the middle is 

 indicated by a very rich group (the Pleiades), containing many consider- 

 able individual bodies, though at immense distances from us. Round this 

 he supposes there is a zone, proportionally poor in stars, and then a broad, 

 rich, ring-formed layer, followed by an interval comparatively devoid of 

 stars, and afterwards by another annular and starry space, perhaps with 

 seieral alternations of the same kind, the two onlmosl rings coinpo.-iug the 

 two parts of the .Milky Way, which iire confounded with each other by 

 perspective in the portions most distant from ourselves. Professor Madler 

 has acknowledged iu his work his obligations, which are those of all 

 inquirers in sidereal astronomy, to the researches of Sir William and Sir 

 .lohu iierschel," 



Draining; wilk Engine Ashes. — On the farm of Daldorch, the property 

 of Archibald Buchanan, Esq., of Calrlne Bank, Scotland, there are drains 

 iiuide 28 years ago, and filled with engine ashes, which are still in lull and 

 eflicieni operation. The depth of drain is 2(3 inches, and the » idlli between 

 each 12 feel. The bollom of the drain is cut three inches wide, and the 

 depth of ashes used in filling them is a'.iout 10 inches. The soil is a firm 

 cloy. These drains promi^e to be as efficient half a century hence as Ihey 

 are at the present time. 



