§33,34. DESIGNS ON GLASS. 47 



moment that it was attempted to transform an art of purely 

 monumental decoration into an art of expression, its intention 

 was perverted, and this led of necessity to its ruin." 



34. The object in a coloured glass window is to obtain an 

 effect from its appearance as a whole, when seen at some dis- 

 tance, not to derive its merit from the beauty of its figures ; 

 but still the figures, wherever they are introduced, should be 

 good, and bear inspection on a near approach. For when, at 

 the present day, the practice of introducing them in medallions, 

 or elsewhere, is adopted in our windows, we are not bound to 

 imitate the faulty drawing or the inelegance of the figures of 

 an early period. Had the designers of those days been able 

 to draw them well, they would have done so ; incapacity, not 

 choice, compelled them to make them faulty and rude, and we 

 are not, therefore, bound to copy them in this particular. 

 But we need not introduce modern or inappropriate costumes; 

 we should rather maintain the early character of the subjects 

 and draperies of the figures, while we abstain from making the 

 temple at Jerusalem, the palace of Pharaoh, or the cities of 

 Canaan, Greek or Eoman ; and Joshua, or other ancient 

 military personages, need not be in armour of mediaeval times. 



It is not necessary to have any anachronism either in archi- 

 tecture or in costume. But in the conventional colouring 

 of these ornamental designs we may follow the old glass- 

 painters. They understood the art, and they very properly 

 suited the colours to the general effect of their windows, 

 which at once shows they considered them not "pictures" 

 or real representations of nature, but simply ornamental. 

 They used a blue, a red, or any other colour, according 

 as it was wanted ; and the Prodigal Son is seen feeding 

 yellow, red, green, and blue boars, according to the require- 

 ments of the coloured design. Eespecting the excellence 

 of the figures, Mr. Whinston says, " if glass-paintings, 

 whose drawing so much resembles the antique, completely 



