. A stained glass tour in Italy. uccessful result. Indeed, successful is just the word we need to describethis long series, except perhaps in one particular—because of the enforced limitations of space, one can-not get far enough away from the windows to obtainthat jewelled glow produced by the breaking upand refraction of the suns rays by the myriad bitsof glass—a glow which we have learned to knowand love in France. We miss the splendid glitteryielded by the transept rose windows of NotreDame in Paris, and in its stead have somethingthat more resembles the close-at-hand beauty seenin the Sai
. A stained glass tour in Italy. uccessful result. Indeed, successful is just the word we need to describethis long series, except perhaps in one particular—because of the enforced limitations of space, one can-not get far enough away from the windows to obtainthat jewelled glow produced by the breaking upand refraction of the suns rays by the myriad bitsof glass—a glow which we have learned to knowand love in France. We miss the splendid glitteryielded by the transept rose windows of NotreDame in Paris, and in its stead have somethingthat more resembles the close-at-hand beauty seenin the Sainte Chapelle. So dimly lighted is thiscrypt-like lower church at Assisi that it is onlywhen the sun gets low in the west that its slantingrays enable one to make out the beautiful allegoricalfrescoes painted by Giotto on the vaulting abovethe altar more than six hundred years ago. In sharp contrast to this scene of dim, solemnbeauty is the brilliantly lighted upper church towhich we ascend by a flight of steps rising from 60. THE UPPER CHURCH, ASSISI_ About the walls, high above the rows of fresco scenes, is the best series of mosaicperiod windows in Italy. Furthermore, this is one of the rare instances of a satis-factory combination of stained glass windows and frescoed walls. Assisi the Sacristy. Here, above the frescoes that runall around the walls, is a series of tall lancetscontaining medallion work as well as contemporarypanels of geometric decoration, and besides, certaintall personages of such great size that the glaziercomposed each face of a number of pieces. Onesees these tall figures stationed about the clerestoriesof Chartres, Rheims, and other northern , however, we note a difference—the largefigures are nearest us, while above their heads aredisposed small groups in medallions : one wouldprefer that the more easily seen personages shouldhave been placed the furthest from us, and that thesmall scenes, the details of which are so diflicultto di
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectglasspaintingandstai
