Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/179

 1868.] Stained Glass. 151 An antiquary in speaking of speci- mens of this period he had seen, says : " So brilliant are these windows, that it "would seem, in fact, as though the " artist had dipped his pencil in turn, in "a solution of amethjst, topaz, ruby, " grenate* and emerald." "What a sense of magnificence and grandeur this con- veys to the mind ; but, in truth, not more than the reality. If the reader has ever been in one of those grand old churches — where the only light admitted is through the gorgeous colors of the windows — he must have felt the exhila- rating effect produced by gazing upon them, and observing the rich and varie- gated streams of colored light upon the architecture, when the sun shines through, and gives splendor to the colors. If so, he will appreciate, to the uttermost, the following quotation from "Aubrey's Anecdotes." In speak- ing of stained glass, our author says: " The curious oriental reds, blews and "greens in glasse painting, especially "when the sun shines, doe much re- " fresh the spirits of a poor, distracted " gentleman, for whereas his former phy- " sitian shutt up his windows, and kept " him in darkness, he did open his win- " dow-lids and let in the light, and filled " his windows with glasses of curious "tinctures, which the distempered per- " son would always be looking on ; and " it did conduce to the quieting of his "disturbed spirits." This is quaint, but true ; and, contrariwise, when the sun has gone down, and " 'tween the gloaming and the mirk," the windows only half light up the noble groined arches and the massive columns, giving a misty airiness to the vaulted roof, illuminated in the deepest of azure and gold, or enriched with grand old frescos — you feel the soul-subduing, though not depressing effect ; and wonder not, that, in the dark ages, the ignorant should look with awe upon the works of man, as if they were of God. deeper, but far heavier and grosser red than ruby. During the thirteenth century, a simi- lar style prevailed with an admixture of "free-scroll," semi-foliated ornamenta- tion, and the introduction in some churches of the representations of kings, dukes, counts and barons, armed from head to foot, and mounted on horses, richly caparisoned, in addition to the heraldic devices and shields of the same. These effigies were probably represen- tative of benefactors, or donors to the church ; just as in the present day, we put up memorial windows in our churches in recognition of those who have been eminent for their piety, or have given of their means, as God has blessed them, for the support of the church. In the fourteenth century was de- veloped another style, called the deco- rated ; but, as to describe the various differences of the successive periods, would occupy too much space and time for this article, I will merely mention the different centuries, in order to arrive at the point when the art was said to decline and be lost, leaving to the future a more elaborate notice of the different periods. The fifteenth century was distinguished particularly by the perpendicular or florid gothic, and, of course, the glass partook of the same character, as did also the application of the stained glass to the decoration of palatial and other residences, it being principally of a heraldic character, and a style of orna- mentation partaking of the Italian and Elizabethan characteristics. In the sixteenth and succeeding cen- turies, church architecture began to lose the former grandeur of conception, be- came debased in style, and may be said to have declined. Consequently its ac- cessories may be held to have declined along with it, as the artists commenced to treat the glass in a different manner, making it look as much like pictures or paintings in oil on canvas as possible, thereby losing the effect of the old win- dows, falling into what has been denomi- nated by a connoisseur friend of ours as
 * For " precious garnet" or " almandine," of a much