. A stained glass tour in Italy. the four lancets has a rich narrow border, andabove are singularly graceful tracery lights, finallytapering to a point at the top. Much clear blueis used throughout the composition, even servingas a background to fifteen of the small scenes, butmonotony of tone is avoided and warmth impartedby ten other backgrounds being red, and ten morered with gold fleur-de-lis. This red is even nowdeep and rich, but it is still too early to find thecorrespondingly deep blue so generally used afterthe opening of the 15th century. One notices theabsence of green, what little
. A stained glass tour in Italy. the four lancets has a rich narrow border, andabove are singularly graceful tracery lights, finallytapering to a point at the top. Much clear blueis used throughout the composition, even servingas a background to fifteen of the small scenes, butmonotony of tone is avoided and warmth impartedby ten other backgrounds being red, and ten morered with gold fleur-de-lis. This red is even nowdeep and rich, but it is still too early to find thecorrespondingly deep blue so generally used afterthe opening of the 15th century. One notices theabsence of green, what little there is being lightin tint. Whenever an interior scene is depictedthe architecture is only suggested. In the samespirit of suggestion a single diminutive tree servesto locate other scenes out-of-doors. But we must resist the temptation to devoteall our time and appreciation even to so effectivean example of the mosaic period as the greateast window. Returning to the nave we shallfind spread out before us a magnificent row of 50. Orvieto twenty-four embrasures filled with alabaster, a sub-stance of which such delightful use was made inItaly. Nor is it, as one might fear, a monotonousbeauty, for in no two localities shall we find itof the same colour. Here it is a mellow yellowishor orange brown, sufficiently fluctuating in itsshading as to lend a sense of movement to thecolouring. The windows are mostly to be foundin the small bowed recesses which line the sidesof the nave, sometimes two lancets together, some-times singly. They are also placed above thetwo small side portals, and over the three entrancesthat pierce the west front, the central one being aparticularly graceful interlacing of eight divisionsending in a point at the top. We may remarkin passing that it is a pity that they filled in theupper parts of the nave lights with modern glass. I wonder what it is that causes one to lingerso long over alabaster windows, lacking as theydo the story and the variety of tints to
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectglasspaintingandstai
