International studio (23.1904)

The Stained Glass Windows of William Willet

rewarded the zeal of certain innovators
in window glazing during the last
few years have accomplished a great
deal in attracting popular
attention to this form of art.
Genuine artists have attempt-
ed to combine superficial
painting with cer-
tain brilliant prod-
ucts of the glass
pot, but it is the
general consensus
of opinion that
these often fascin-
ating and even
beautiful effects
are illegitimate;
they do not lend
themselves to
genuine design;
they offend against
architectural feel-
ing. As the first
desideratum of a
window is that it
should admit light,
their lack of trans-
lucency tends to
spoil the charm
that one has a
right to expect.
The extraordinary
weight of many of
the blocks of glass
used will always be
likely to vitiate the
leads; and the su-
perficiality of the
colours, certainly
when applied with
the brush, and
probably when so
little immanent in
the glass itself that
a single firing
turns them dark
and spoils their
beauty, is contrary
to the very concep-
tion of stained
glass.
It is well that
these experiments have been made, and of course
the prognostications of those who believe in tra-

dition may be like the prophecies of Jonah
regarding the great city of Nineveh,
and yet it may be seen in some of
the “ masterpieces ’ ’ that have
caused considerable hue and
cry during the past twenty
years that there are already
signs of deteriora-
tion. If, however,
the “chromolitho-
graph transparen-
cies,” these post-
ers in glass, as
some of them have
been wittily
called, have sub-
served no other
purpose than to
interest the public
and draw attention
to the possibilities
of the more seri-
ous and time-hon-
oured school, they
are performing an
importantmission.
There are a
number of work-
ers in genuine
stained glass and
they have a right
to point with sat-
isfaction to the
triumphs that they
have achieved.
The late Dante
Gabriel Rossetti,
and Sir E. Burne-
Jones, Mr. W.
Blake Richmond,
Mr. Henry Holi-
day, Mr. Ford
Madox Brown and
others have con-
tented themselves
with following the
certain and solid
traditions which
for a whole millen-
nium have pre-
served unimpaired
the glorious art.
Among the younger artists in this field, Mr.
William Willet has achieved through honest

WINDOW BY WILLIAM WILLET

CCCLXXIX