Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 4.djvu/192

 174 NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. century. The second class is composed of engraving's of the full size of the oriij-ina] examples : these range over as wide a period as the suhjects of the first class, and, like them, are executed some in colours, some in outline only. By this means I hope to familiarize the reader's eye with the hand- ling, as well as the general effect of ancient glass paintings." Preface, p. vi. They have this recommendation ; that they are copied precisely as they are seen, with no attempt at restoration, except it be the substitution of white glass or a blank for repairs in heterogeneous coloured glass. And in most of them not merely the design, but the mechanical construction and arrangement of the leads, are carefully given. "VVe may be allowed to state that we have been favoured with the sight of most of the original drawings, in which accuracy is so far studied, that the spots and stains caused by time, the corrosion or oxydation of materials, Sec, are carefully delineated. These are omitted in the engravings, as tending to confuse the designs, but they may be adverted to as not beneath the notice of the practical student ; since they may assist him in examining the texture and composition of the material, on which, as is abundantly proved in the Avork before us, mainly depends the effect of a glass painting. The specimens we are enabled to give will shew that justice has been done to these remarkable drawings by the skill of Messrs. De la Motte and Heaviside, the artists engaged to execute them upon wood, It is needless to say that additional instruction will be gained by referring to actual examples. Many of our cathedrals and large churches are rich in painted glass still remaining in situ, and not much damaged by later repairs. Of these, York, Canterbury, Gloucester, Wells, Tewkesbury, Great Mal- vern, Fairford church, Merton and New College chapels, Oxford, King's chapel, Cambridge, and many others, are well known. The admirably arranged glass in the apse of Lichfield cathedral, though originally belonging to a Flemish church, may be studied as an excellent specimen of the Cinque Cento style. Of smaller churches, Lowick in Northamptonshire, Char- tham in Kent, Norbury in Derbyshire, many of the parish churches in York, &c., may be named among those which exhibit extensive remains. In some districts, almost every parish church that has not been" too much restored, contains some valuable relics; though the practice of collecting all the painted glass in a church for the sake of exhibiting an incongruous piece of patch-work in the east window (a practice properly denounced by our author) has destroyed the interest and value of a very considerable quantity. It will be noticed, that although the specimens engraved, and still more those referred to in the text, take a sufficient range to prevent the work from having any thing of a partial or local character, still some districts, Kent especially, furnish a large proportion of the examples. Something of course must be allowed for the author's facilities in making his selection from one part of England rather than another, but we think we may fairly infer, that those districts which appear to assume a prominent place, are, in fact, the most rich in specimens ; and their examination would amply repay