STAINED GLASS

Evening Star, Issue 21508, 5 September 1933, Page 2

STAINED GLASS

WINDOWS THAT DATE BACK TO THE 11TH CENTURY One of the arts which belong wholly to the Christian era is that of the making of stained glass, its object being to beautify buildings, primarily those dedicated for worship. It is really the union of two crafts, the glaziers and the enamellers, both of which go back to Egyptian civilisation at least, but while coloured glass was used for ornament among pagans it was Christian genius that used it to make pictures. The oldest stained glass in existence is said to be that in Le Mans Cathedral, but at Brabourne, Kent, there is a small window which may belong to the eleventh century. Early English glass is remarkable for its rich colour and mosaic-like characters. The iron framework was bent into geometric patterns, and numbers of small shapes of glass were used, which produced a jewel-like effect. The school at Canterbury was famous, but of the wonderful work it accomplished in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries only a remnant is left. During the Commonwealth the cathedral was given in charge of a man named Richard Culmer, known to the Cavaliers as “ Blue Dick,” and he stood on a ladder of sixty steps with a pike in his hand and smashed to his heart’s content.

Lincoln Cathedral and York Minster are famous for thirteenth century glass, and a little remains in Salisbury. Fourteenth century glass is seen at its best in York, and other interesting examples of this period are in Merton College, Oxford, and Exeter Cathedral.

All dampness can be excluded from a cupboard by having it lined with sheet asbestos.