Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 10.djvu/692

G70 GLASS [GLASS r.u."i‘1:;c:. the tribune :—the Resurrection, designed by Paolo 1'ccello, I painter of the 15th century. He was born in 1446, and and the Ascension and the Prayer in the Garden, by‘ Lorenzo Ghiberti, although by this time Francesco di Lievi da Gambassi had been some time in Florence. Bernardo dcl Boui is also recorded to have painted the .-Xnnunciation designed by Uccello, removed some years ago, and the .-Xscension described as being either by Glii- bcrti or Uccello ; the uncertainty is curious. In 1448 the same artist painted the Presentation in the Temple, which was designed by Ghiberti. What windows then did the artist from Liibeck really execute! Born an Italian, he was instructed from his youth in Germany, and it is reasonable to suppose that his style would be German. X ow several of the upper windows of the traiisepts contain figures which have a decided affinity with German ideas, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that these were by the new comer. He established furnaces by special pern1is- sion, and it has therefore been hastily assumed that he manufactured coloured glass ; but these no doubt were to burn his painted glass. The letter inviting “F raiicesclio Dominici Livi de Ghanibasso comitatus Flor., magistro in omni et quocunque genere vitreorum dc musayco et de quodam alio colore vitreoruni,” dated 15th October 1436, was preceded by another written on the 26th August 143-}, which is thus recorded :-—“ Letter written to the master glass-painter Ganibassi, then in Scotland, and who made works in glass of various kinds, and was held to be the best glass-painter in the world.” It is now vain to express the feeling with which Scotch people must regret the de- struction of the works of this excellent artist in Holyrood Chapel; the blow then inflicted upon ecclesiastical art never has been remedied. Many other glass-painters executed windows in the cathedral, the last of whom, Sandro di Giovanni Agolanti, in 1486 glazed the windows of the lantern, showing that it was finished, and in 1503 inserted glass “in an aperture for the astrologers to see the sun through.” The windows of the cathedral of Florence are of rich deep colours, but unfortunately they are incrusted with dirt inside and out- side. Many of them which have been broken have been wretchedly repaired, and the modern glass is toned with glazings of oil paint. They darken the church to such an extent that works of art within it are seen to disadvan- tage. .Iichelangelo’s group of the Pieta is merely a dark mass, and it may be mentioned that his statue of Chiist in Santa Maria. sopra Minerva is similarly sacrificed to the painted glass lately introduced. _ The history of glass painting is illustrated by windows in other churches in Florence; those in Santa Croce have been alluded to, with the exception of the magnificent circular window of the facade designed by Ghiberti. It is of special interest, as showing this great sculptor’s ideas of colour as well as of foriu. The subject is the Descent from the Cross, and the colour strongly recalls the bright clear system of Fra Beato Angelico. In Santa Maria Novella there is another very fine circular window of the 14th cen- tury, the history of which seems to be forgotten; but in design it recalls the style of Andrea Orcagna, to whom also may be attributed the fragments of a window in the Strozzi chapel, which he partly painted in fresco, and for which he also provided the admirable altarpiece. In another Strozzi chapel in the same church, painted by F ilippino Lippi in fresco, there is a very rich window which is obviously also of his design, but so completely has all critical knowledge of glass painting disappeared in Florence, that this and other noble works excite no attention and no remark, and are in danger either from removal or from the clumsiest renovation. The great window of the chancel, a large triplet, is so excellent that it places Sandro di Giovanni Agolanti in the foremost rank as a designer and glass- of his numerous works this superb triplet, which was erected in 14‘Jl—‘.’., is the only example now remaining, whilst there are twenty-oiie records of his prodnctioiis, evidently a small portion of them ; the last describes him as decrepit in 1.315, and mentions that Niccolo di Giovanni di Paolo, master glass—painter, took his place. A window in St Francis at Assisi by the Uiiibriaii Angioletto da Gubbio, an artist of the early part of the 15th century, deserves special notice in connexion with the admirable works of this great age of the art. It was erected about a century after the death of Cardinal Gentili (who built the chapel) by his heirs. The window is so full of light, so delicate in its arrangement of colour, and so tenderly and skilfully painted, whilst the prevalent white ornament is so brilliant, that it is perhaps the most perfect type in existence of a painted window suitable for a building containing works of art, or where the climate is unfavourable and consequently the light imperfect. The close of the 15th century was in important respects the greatest epoch of painted glass in Italy: the general style of design of the grcqit quattroceiitista masters, their iiioiiii- mental and decorative methods of composition, simplicity of attitude and form, and rich unbroken colour, were emi- nently adapted for reproduction in glass painting, whilst the prevalent style of ornament was singularly graceful and pleasing. The influence of the Italian style was felt in F raiice, Germany, and the Low Countries, in which very noble works of glass painting rivalling the Italian were pro- duced by eminent artists, examples of whose works may be seen at Ilourges and Rouen, at Antwerp and Brussels, and in various cities in Germany, although singularly enough one of the finest typical examples of this great epoch of German glass painting exists at .Xssisi,——the glazing panels of which the noble window has been composed being dis- persed through two or three windows of the upper and lower church. The technical execution of the windows of this period in all these countries was superb, showing how thoroughly the artists were trained in every process of their art. In England the feeble Perpendicular style was con- temporaneous, entirely devoid of good drawing, pallid in colour and weak in execution, a singular contrast in every respect to the state of the art on the Continent. Amongst the most active and able glass—paii1ters of the prolific 15th century in Italy the Gesuati monks, whose convent was close to Florence and was razed to the ground during the siege when Michelangelo aided in the defence of the city, were celebrated. They prepared colours for artists, supplying Micliclaiigelo when he painted the Last Judgment, and they executed numerous windows of l1lL'll there are records from 1467 to 1562. As glass—painters they painted the designs intrusted to them with forcible execution, but their drawing was less happy and their ornameiitation heavy. There are several windows by these Brethren in Florence: in S-anto Spirito the great circle of the facade shows every indication of having been de- signed by Pietro Perugino ; in San Salvatore, near San Miuiato, the east window, evidently by a Gesuato, has very probably been designed by Andrea della Robbia. In another window in the same church a figure of St John is a very fine specimen of their art. Several windows filled with small round panes of white glass, with richly coloured borders and sacred monograms or heraldry in the centre, are especially noteworthy as admirable types for domestic architecture. There are also works of the sai11e character as the above in the church of Santa .Iaria Maddalena dei Pazzi. A glass-painter was now to make his appearance in Italy who was destined, although a foreigner, to eclipse in the opinion of the Italians all previous masters of the art ; this

was Fra Guglielmo di Marsillat, born in the diocese of