Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/136

 120 THE BUILDING NEWS Fen. 9, 1879. we must accept the bars and leads as necessities, and work accordingly, it does not follow that stained glass must therefore be coarse in treatment. If that were so it would be quite out of place in our dwelling-rooms, in incongruous juxtaposition with the rather over-finished furniture of a modern house. The leads give, it is true, the key of our composition in glass. Looking at a stained glass window as the expression of an artist’s thought and feeling, they give, as it were, the pitch of his voice. But his utterance need not, therefore, be loud, any more than an accomplished singer or speaker need shout to fillaroom. Only he must be practised in his art, as the speaker and the singer are in theirs, and he must quite know what power he has, and how to turn it into account. It is a popular prejudice (with which I am very far from agreeing) that to a good window /figure-work isindispensable. Still, single figures, or figure-sub- jects, may eften be introduced with advantage, and in domestic work there is not so much danger of that painful sameness of subject and treatment which de- tracts from the interest of ecclesiastical work. But in quarry or grisaille lights, I think the figure work should also be grisaille in character. Instances of the way in which it is possible cleverly to introduce occasional bits of colour in grisaille subjects are very common in old Perpendicular work. The glass- painters of that period were often very tricky in the management of their leads, and knew how to make the most of every bit of colour they used. M. Viollet le Duc objects to figures executed in grisaille. It is an essential condition, he says, of all grisaille, that every bit of glass should be evenly diapered with some pattern traced with the brush, and, as in the case of figures, this law would have to be broken as far as the heads and flesh are concerned, figures must not be introduced. Of this argument I will only say that it seems to me very much like losing an opportunity for the sake of theory. It is a safe practice to cover over your white ground with brushwork, but by no means an inviolable Jaw. But he has a better reason. He says that there is, about all grisaille, however bold the design, an appearance of vibration which makes it difficult to decipher the pattern—the eye cannot rest upon it without fatigue, and it is, therefore, a waste of resources to lavish figure-work upon it. If this be true, it is an ob- jection to all first-class work in grisaille. But is this vibration inevitable? I grant that it is a com- mon effect—or rather defect—of a grisaille, but I deny that it is a universal one. There are some figures leaded in grisaille in the Houses of Parlia- ment that certainly did not vibrate when I saw them. Of course it fatigues the eye to look long at a time at any glass through which a pretty strong light is transmitted; but it is not because we cannot look at a thing for long at a time that we should, therefore, refrain from making it as beautiful as possible. Indeed, even beauty begins to pall upon you when it is continually before your eyes. Goethe has a charming little fable that Beauty came to Jove with the complaint, why had he made her perishable? and the god answered that it was only the perishable that he had endowed with beauty. In the case of glass I think we should soon weary of it if it were coarse and uninteresting; and if it were delieate and beautiful we should haye plenty of opportunities to appreciate it and enjoy it—at least in domestic work. The misfortune is that we seldom use grisaille except where cheapness is a desideratum, and it results that it is for the most part cheap and proportionately nasty, though it might be made to produce the most beautiful effects. Who ever failed to admire the “Five Sisters of York”? There is one means by which cheap glass might be improved ; that is, if the design were used repeatedly, and its cost thus spread over many windows. I see no reason why medallions, small subjects, figures, heads, panels, &c., might not be reserved by the manufac- turer for cheaper windows. If a man can afford an original design, so much the better—lct him have it by all means; but if he cannot afford to pay for aunique design, give him a good replica. This is done in the case of tiles, and other manufactures ; why should it not be done in glass? And yet, a far as I know, it never is done. Referring to the introduction of colour in grisaille or quarry lights, I do not advocate the use of much colour in quarry lights. Coloured panels, or bosses generally, look heavy in them, and a rich border has a tendency towards the same defect, besides diminishing the apparent size of the window. Perhaps a narrow line of colour, as an inner border between the white border and the quarries, and just an oceasional rosette or ring of colour, is as much as the light will bear. If you will have more, you may venture, but it is treading on d angerous ground. In other gvisaille, much more colour may easily be intro- duced. Patterns in which intersecting or interlacing sort I know is in Cologne Cathedral. bands of colour are the prominent feature may be very happily designed. The old Decorated and earlier church work of that character will illustrate what I mean. Examples are to be seen in the Chapter House, York, and at Salisbury Cathedral. Where spots of colour are used there should be some sort of fairness in the distribution of them— the plums should not be all in one slice of cake— and if larger masses occur they should serve asa focus for these smaller spots. There is breadth about the arrangement of a broad horizontal band of panels running through a series of grisaille or quarry lights which is thoroughly architecturesque, and admirably opposed to anything like prettiness ; but very richly-coloured panels in the midst of comparatively pale grisaille are apt to give one the rather uncomfortable impression that all the money has been spent upon them, and the grisaille filled in for want of further funds. When the masses of rich colour take the form of heraldic shields or panels, this inconsistency is less perceptible; perhaps because a coat of arms, being meant to be something ostentatious, you are not surprised that it should monopolise your attention and swamp the rest of the window. Theoretically I admit to a certain sentimental sort of prejudice against all heraldry; but of the admirable effects of which heraldry is capable in stained glass I think there can scarcely be two opinions. So that, perhaps, its beauty justifies the use of heraldry in domestic windows. In church windows it seems to me utterly unjustifiable. It is certainly more suggestive of the ridiculous than of the sublime to see an angel, or what goes for one, promoted to bear a shield of arms in glorification of Mr. Smith. I know that this objection, if carried out, would *‘ exclude all mundane monuments from our churches,” but I have no sympathy with the abuse of the me- morial sentiment that has turned Westminster Abbey into an old curiosity shop. When I speak of heraldic work as effective, no one, I hope, will accuse me of alluding to those little Swiss miniature coats of arms painted in coloured enamels on glass. ‘“ Effective” is the last epithet to be applied to that sort of trifling, I refer, of course, to bold mosaic work, such as one finds frequently in old Gothic work. There are a few rather rough scraps (fifteenth century) at South Kensington, but I think the best old work of the Good speci- mens of modern work are not scarce. The designer has this inducement to use heraldry—that. the laws of heraldry make it difficult to go wrong in colour. There are painful proofs that it is possible to fritter your work away into insignificance, or to use crude glass for your “tinctures”; but if you adopt the mosaic system, and use rich glass, you cannot well help arriving at a boid and good effect of colour— unless you perpetrate false heraldry. It is really difficult to make a discord within the limits of “colour on metal and metal on colour.” Take the further precaution of adopting a white background, and you are safe. A white quarry background is a common expedient in heraldry, and nearly always looks well; but I can’t help thinking that it should only be used where the heraldry forms but part of the window, the rest of it being of quarry-work. Where there is no other quarry-work, and where, perhaps (as is often the case), not a single perfect quarry occurs, it seems to me savage, if not absurd. The object of querrying is to break up a surface, and where the background is already sufficiently broken up by the heraldry, the quarries are superfluous— unless, as I said, they are accounted for as being a continuation of the quarry-work above and below. I have confined myself, so far, chiefly to grisaille work and to glass approaching to grisaille in charac- ter, because I have to do to-night with glass adapted to domestic architecture, where the opportunity of introducing very richly-coloured windows is com- paratively scarce. Such richly-coloured glass as we see at Chartres or Canterbury bears much about the same relation to very delicate grisaille as fresco- painting bears to water-colour, The one, at its grandest, is on a bold scale, to be seen at a distance, and not to be smelt at—architectural and monumen- tal in its character—fit for cathedrals. The other, at its best, is altogether on a smaller scale, admitting of much closer inspection, and, indeed, by its delicacy almost demanding it—a refined decoration for our sitting-rooms. (To be continued.) — AncuirecturAl Musrum.—A conference is to be held at this museum, Tufton-street, Dean’s-yard, Westminster, on Thursday, Feb. 15, at four o'clock p.m., for the purpose of considering the best means of rendering the collection of greater advantage to workmen in such trades as require a knowledge of art, COMPETITIONS. Worcester.—The Worcester School Board, at its meeting, on the 1st instant, determined to adhere to its previous decision in the matter of the competi- tion for the new schools, notwithstanding the protests which have been addressed to it, Pustic Barn, Hantry.—Thirty-one sets of designs were submitted in this competition. Out of these twelve were first selected, and the number was then reduced to four. After ‘another examination “Mark Well” was selected for the first prize of £30, and “A Competitor” was selected for the prize of £20. he sealed envelopes accom- panying the prize plans were then opened, and it was found that the first prize had been awarded to Mr. Ralph Dain, Henley, and the second to Mr. Charles Lynam, Stoke. The Mayor commented on the fact that the two best plans were by local arechi- tects, which was doubtless due to the greater interest taken in the matter by local architects. Woopereen Cuurcu, NEAR WEDNESBURY.— The design of Mr. Edward Francis Clarke, of Mitre Chambers, London, has been selected from a limited competition, Mr. Edward Holmes, of Bir- mingham, being the adjudicator. We hope to give Mr. Clarke’s interior and exterior views in an early number of the Burtpixe News. —_>—__—- ARCH ZOLOGICAL. Liverroon ArcHrrecruURAL AND ARCH2ZOLOGI- cat Socrery.—The seventh meeting of this session was held at the Royal Institution on Wednesday evening. Mr. T. D. Barry made some remarks upon the sewerage question. ATHENIAN Tomns.—The Chronique des Arts for December 24, 1871, announces that new tombs have been brought to light at Athens, amongst others a funeral monument ornamented by a fine bas-relief representing two female figures larger than life, one seated, the other standing. Excavations have also been undertaken in the environs of the so-called portico of the Eponymi. The result appears to throw discredit on the theory in accordance with which the portico was named. The colossal statues found, of which three are yet preserved, make up but four in all. They supported, after the fashion of caryatides, the entablature of an edifice of which both the name and purpose for the present must remain in doubt, Tue ArcHaorocicAL InstrrutE.—The Feb- ruary meeting, being the first for 1872, of the Archeological Institute, took place on Friday. Some photographs of Raglan Castle were handed round. Mr. Burtt read a paper by Mr. Hewitt on the Medical Prescriptions of the Seventeenth Cen- tury. Mr. Fortnum followed with a paper on early “ Christian Rings,” of which he exhibited an extensive collection. He quoted S. James ii. 2 to prove that rings were worn among the early Christians, and described several varieties of the sacred monogram, the Cross, the anchora spet, and other religious symbols with which these rings are engraved. Among the examples he mentioned was a ring of the Blessed Virgin at Perugia and another at Rome; but he cautiously abstained from any opinion as to their authenticity. — PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. Roya PArKs AND GARDENS.—Mr. Ayrton brought ina Bill, on Wednesday, for the regulation of the Royal parks and gardens. Punitic HEALTH.—Mr. Hibbert, in the absence of tne Presidest of the Local Government Board, gave notice, on Tuesday, that that right hon. gentleman would, on the 16th instant, bring i in a Bill to amend the law re lating to public health. Sir Selwin Ibbet- son also gave notice of a similar motion. INVESTIGATION OF Frres.—Mr. M‘Lagan gave notice that he should bring in a Bill for the inyesti- gation of fires. THe OrpNANCE SurveY.—Mr. Whitworth gave notice of his intention to call attention to the present state of progress of the ordnance survey. —————— Braprorp.—The Rev. W. B. Scruton, of 8. Patrick’s, Bradford, has had a range of school buildings erected in the rear of the church by Mr. A. Neill, from the designs of Mr. Edward Simpson, architect, Bradford, at acost of about £3,500, The schools are in plain Gothic style, two stories in height, and will accommodate betw een 700 and 800 children. ‘The infant school measures 80ft. by 30ft., mixed school 90ft. by 30ft., and middle-class ‘school 30ft. by 16ft. Seven large class rooms are attached ; there are lavatories, cloak rooms, and other modern conyeniences. Adjoining is a_ school- house, or conyent, rine accommodation for six head teachers and twelve pupil-teachers,