I8J6.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



I3[ 



STAINED GLASS WINDOWS AT SAINTE CHAPELLE, PARIS. 



(Paper read at the Royal Institute of British Architects), 



By A. PoYNTER, Esq., Hon. Sec. 

 The excellent restoration now in progress at the Sainte Chapelle, in the 

 Palais de Justice, at Paris, has caused it to be lately mentioned in this room 

 on several occasions, on one of which a wish was expressed by some of the 

 members present, for a more particular account of the stained glass with 

 which the windows are decorated, and which, notwithstanding some serious 

 dilapidations, has remained, on the whole, more perfect perhaps than any 

 similar work of the 13th century. I fear the subject will scarcely prove so 

 interesting as may have been anticipated, owing to the want of the illustra- 

 tions necessary to do it justice; the developement of the details, to any 

 great extent, being obviously a work of time and labour. The Sainte 

 Chapelle, it need hardly be repeated, was built by St. Louis in the 13th cen- 

 tury. Previously to the restoration of the polychromatic decorations of the 

 interior, the Sainte Chapelle attracted little attention from our travelling 

 students. The decorations had either disappeared or were covered up behind 

 the cases and presses with which the chapel was filled, in order to fit it up 

 for a depository of records connected with the Palais de Justice ; and this 

 use to which it was put was a sentence of exclusion to strangers from the 

 interior, seldom remitted. I was however fortunate enough, some years 

 ago, to penetrate into this mysterious sanctuary, and at my leisure to make 

 notes on the stained glass, (at that time the only object worthy of study 

 which the chapel afforded,) the results of which I am about to submit to 

 yon. 



The Chapel contains sixteen windows — four on the north side, four on the 

 south, and seven in the apsis, which forms the eattern termination of the 

 building. These are all the original windows ; the sixteenth is a rosace at 

 the west end, which has been restored, both stone work and glass, in the 

 style of the Gothique flamboyant, probably not earlier than the middle of 

 the 15tb century. The side windows are in four lights each, with circles 

 and tracery in the heads, and the windows of the apsis in two lights, the 

 compartments being extremely lofty in proportion, as is usual in the French 

 Gothic. The iron work of these windows, forming the frames of the com- 

 partments in which the glass is arranged, is well worthy of attention for its 

 beautiful and varied form of composition, producing, in the tall spaces which 

 it occupies, an effect which in some measure supplies the place of tracery. 

 This is especially the case with the third window on the south side, which 

 will be further noticed in its turn. 



In the state in which the chapel was when my notes were made, — and 

 indeed as it may be still, for I believe the restoration has not yet arrived at 

 the glass, — many of the lower compartments of the windows, hidden behind 

 the presses for the records, were destroyed. Some of the glass was probably 

 abstracted when the presses were fixed, and it was unknown what had 

 become of it ; but it is probable, from the confusion which exists in some of 

 the windows, that a portion may have been taken to make good defects in 

 those parts which remained visible, for in one or two places, which will he 

 noticed in their turn, the glass has been much damaged, and badly patched 

 up; but these losses are small in comparison with what remains in a high 

 state of preservation, and which may be stated to amount to about 800 com- 

 partments, representing subjects of scripture history, and containing from 

 two figures each, up to as many as nine. The total number of figures may 

 amount to between two and three thousand on the most moderate calcula- 

 tion. They exhibit nothing remarkable either in drawing or composition 

 beyond the art of the period; on the colouring there will be some observa- 

 tions to make presently. The grounds and borders of the lights are more 

 worthy of attention. The fleur-de-lis and the arms of Castile, in reference 

 to Blanche of Castile, the queen of Louis VIII, and mother of the king by 

 whom the edifice was founded, are conspicuous throughout these details. 



The first window on the north side (to take them seriatim) is one of those 

 which has suffered most wrong from time and violence. Part of the more 

 modern erection of the Palais de Justice is built close against it, so that the 

 light is shut out, and the glass is either entirely destroyed, or so patched up 

 where it has been kept in its place as even to render the suljects undistin- 

 gnisbable. The iron work of this window is arranged in circles and semi- 

 circles. (Fig. 1.) No. 2, on the north side, contains seventy-two compart- 

 ments above the line to which the presses [formerly reached — eighteen in 



in each of the four lights, besides those in the circular compartments of the 

 heads; the compartments are disposed in the form of lozenges and portions 

 of quatrefoils on the iron frame shewn at fig. 2. The subjects are all from 



ir 



Fir- 1. Fig- 2. 



the book of Exodus and in high preservation throughout, except that, in 

 some repair, the drowning of the Egyptians has been turned the wrong nay 

 upwards. The ground of this window is a sort of trellis, not very remark- 

 able, with a border of the arms of Castile. 



In the third window fifty-six compartments remain above the press line, 

 arranged in portions of quatrefoils, and in the vessica piscis form (fig. 3), 

 each of the latter containing two subjects; the eight lower compartments 

 represent coronations of the kings of France, and more remained at the 

 time these notes were made, behind the presses, which are now brought to 

 light. In the upper part is contained the history of Moses, who is intro- 

 duced into most of the groups. Among these subjects the plague of flics is 

 represented with the most amusing naivete, the faces of Pharoah and his 

 court being covered with the insects after a fashion which renders the subject 

 quite unmistakeable. The ground of this window is magnificent, being 

 entirely semt of fleurs-de-lis, with medallions of Castile. It is to be re- 

 gretted that it should be placed in the north side of the chapel, from which 

 circumstance, and from being pressed upon by the Palais de Justice, it has 

 not the benefit of a due share of light. The border is not so remarkable. 

 The whole of this window is also in high preservation. 



No. 4 exhibits thirty-six compartments, very elongated quatrefoils, each 

 divided into two subjects, wrth quatrefoils of tlie ordinary form betweeu. 

 (fig. 4.) The subjects are principally from the book of Joshua, and for the 

 most part represent battles (certainly not of the crusades of St. Louis, as a 

 French artist has supposed), among which the fall of Jericho is conspicuous. 

 Most of the compartments are in high preservation, and it is unnecessary to 

 say that the Israelitish warriors are clad and armed in the fashion of the 

 13th century. There is nothing very remarkable either in the ground or 

 border of this window, except that the sun and moon are introduced in the 

 heads of the lights. 



All these windows contain nine compartments in the heads — one in each 

 of the curves between the circles, one in the sixfoil light of the middle circle 

 and one in each of the quatrefoils, which compose the tracery. 



The first of the seven windows o( the apsis is filled with plain rectangular 

 iron work (fig. 5). This is one of the windows which has sufl'ered the most 

 dilapidation, and only some of the lower panels remain entire. Among the 

 surviving subjects is Sampson, with Dalilah cutting his hair. The ht^ad 

 consisting, like all those in the apsis, of three trefoils, contains a cherub in 

 the upper trefoil, and an angel in each of the others ; these figures are in 



