WAR-BROKEN WINDOWS

Evening Star, Issue 19637, 17 August 1927, Page 5

WAR-BROKEN WINDOWS

FRENCH RESTORATION PLANS. The historic stained glass windows of France, which were so terribly shattered by war shells, are being slowly pieced together again, but no attempt will bo made to have modern artists reproduce missing pieces of the patterned windows, according to a eommnniehlioii from tbo Foreign Art Exchange Association of Paris to Art and Arelircology.

The great Cathedral of Rliciins lias just been formally reopened fur worship after long and extensive repairs, and the cathedral is not expected to bo completely itself for another half century.

The policy rigidly adopted at R hoi ms and elsewhere forbids any attempt at replacing doubtful missNjg sections except with plain or ncnlral colored glass, the French coinmnnical ion slates, if only a. single panel remains, that panel is simply mounted in an iinculored window.

Every clforl lias been made to Ibid even the smallest and least important fragments of glass left in Iho wrecked churches. In each eliureli, architects and glass painters have taken these pieces and laboriously patched together, like a jig-saw puzzle, the saints’ laces, symbolic designs, and italics of rich plain color. When the principal part of the repair work has been completed, and if finances permit, the French artists hope to replace sonic of the totally blank windows with stained glass of the best twentieth century craftsmanship. It has always been traditional in Franco tp allow each period to contribute its own peculiar art to the decoration of ancient and historic buildings. “There is no reason,” it is stated. “ why windows, true to the spirit of our times, should not produce a happy effect when placed beside the stained glass of many hundreds of years.” " The long list of damaged churches includes many that bad come through previous French wars with their glass treasures unharmed. tactically wherever the fighting raged this typo of art was severely damaged.