Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 1.djvu/29

Rh piece of glass drops, or is blown out of the leads by the wind; the leads, deprived of its support, become gradually relaxed in other parts; other pieces of glass are in consequence lost, and so the painting rapidly perishes. A similar result follows the loss of a piece of glass occasioned by a stone thrown by an unlucky boy, or other accident. It may safely be affirmed, that nearly as much glass has been lost in this manner during the last two hundred years, as fell a victim to mistaken zeal during the Reformation and Rebellion. Now all this might have been prevented by a little care in the first instance. Had the work been examined occasionally, and the old leads repaired, or replaced with new, the loss arising from mere decay would not have occurred: or, had the lost piece of glass been promptly replaced with a piece of new, the further progress of decay might in all probability have been arrested. The old adage, "a stitch in time saves nine," applies with peculiar force to a painted window. Again: had the work been protected by a wire guard on the outside, much wanton, as well as accidental injury would have been prevented.

Let us in future adopt these precautions ourselves. Whenever a glass painting, although in other respects perfect, appears to bag, or bulge out in places, that is a symptom that its leading requires reparation or renewal. If the latter, the restoration ought to be most carefully conducted. The pieces of glass of which it is composed should be retained in their original positions, and the forms of the ancient lead-work preserved as much as possible. When the work is complicated, it is better to have it re-leaded by a regular glass painter, than to trust it to the tender mercies of an ignorant glazier; but even this is better than to suffer it to fall to pieces without an effort to save it. If the painting should be already much shattered, no time ought to be lost in repairing or renewing the leads, and in replacing the missing pieces with new glass. And here we condemn the practice of what is called restoring an ancient glass painting, by supplying its defects with modern painted glass. It may be allowable, in some cases, to fill the place of what must have been plain colour with a corresponding plain piece of coloured glass; or even perhaps to restore a portion of ornament, or other matter, where sufficient authority exists for the restoration; but in all other cases, it is safest to make up the deficiency with a piece of plain white glass, slightly dulled, or smeared