380

THE ILLUSTEATED EXHIBITOR.

its beautiful colours and exquisite design—flowers and
foliage and geometrical figures—as in the fact of the whole
being produced by an entirely new and hitherto but little
practised method. The colours are produced by the ordi-
nary method, and then engraved so as to embrace every
variety of style, the flowers being silvered or embossed on
white, blue, ruby, gold, or other grounds, which have an
exceedingly rieh effect.

This fine specimen of window ornamentation is divided
into five compartments, having an outer border composed
of scroll ornament, and baskets and bouquets of flowers.
The centre compartment contains an elegant flower-basket,
filled with the choicest specimens of flowers, and is sur-
rounded by a scroll border and floral wreath. The other
divisions contain flower-vases of very elegant design.
These specimens of ornamental window glass have the
advantage of extraordinary brilliancy and lustre, and are
applicable not only to every kind of window, but for tables,
slabs, door-plates, and similar purposes.

This description of stained glass has been greatly ad-
mired. "We understand that several families of distinction
have had windows of the new ornamental glass fitted up
in their houses. Perhaps, if anything could add to the
interest with which we view this beautiful object, it is the
fact that the design was made by a workman in the em-
ploy of Messrs. Hall. The same firm are also extensive
manufacturers of horticultural, plate, sheet, and ornamental
glass for church windows.

Pass we to the consideration of other of our British
specimens of stained glass. The contributions of Messrs.
Pugin and Hardman grace the Mediaeval Court, and next
to them the works of Mr. "Wailcs, of JSTewcastle-on-Tyne,
demand attention. Many of his subjects—diapers espe-
cially—are copied from ancient examples, chiefly at York.
He can copy well, and he knows how to select—which
is more than can he said for some of his competitors. "We
are not quite sure, says a contemporary, how far mere
imitations of existing old glass deserve admission into the
Exhibition ; and it is still more doubtful whether cartoons,
or mere drawings of windows already executed, ought to
be taken into account. For, great as is the difference
between a first sketch and a finished painting, or between
the clay and the marble, it is still more difficult to pro-
nounce how a very showy cartoon will turn out in actual
execution in glass. Mr. Wailes, however, exhibits many
drawings of his former works, and some, wo are bound to
say, of much merit.

There are specimens, in several styles, by Mr. Gibson.
He affects chiefly the German type of face and form ; espe-
cially in a figure of the Virgin, seated, and engaged in
reading. Two other lights, representing St. Helena and
St. Agnes, are rather coarsely drawn, with canopies and
opaque back-grounds. A light, intended probably for a
classical building, with medallions, is more creditable as
to drawing. Another window would seem to be meant
for the Byzantine style. The Nativity is here represented
in the unusual form (for that subject) of what is inele-
gantly called the vesica piscis. This window is evidently
an attempt at religious expression and pure design. The
saints represented are strangely selected, being Moses,
David, Isaiah, and St. John the Baptist.

Messrs. Chance, of Birmingham, exhibit several splendid
specimens of stained glass. Their works show general
superiority of material, and careful attention to the canons
and precedents of the art, but few marks of genius or in-
dications of individual character. These gentlemen ex-
hibit a great number of diaper patterns, the majority of
them pure and intelligible. One in particular, of ruby,
covered with a trellis of vines, bearing leaves and grapes,
is very pleasing. Two figures, representing St. Peter and
St. Paul, are above the average—a standard not reached
by two other figures depicting, under shaded canopies of
renaissance character, St. George, the patron of England,"
and the Queen, under the person of Britannia. The
medallions exhibited by Messrs. Chance show generally a
right feeling in the treatment of religious subjects—they
aim at purity of design—and are all most consistently and
laudably translucent.

Messrs. Claudet and Houghton have succeeded

ing antiquation and obscuration in three lights
sen ting our Lord throned in glory
Paul. 8 y'

repre-
and St. Peter and St.

Mr. J A. Gibbs is above the average standard of attain
ment. His colours are fairly harmonised, his tinct™
often good and there is not much of mere enamelW em
ployed, Ihe Dispute with the Doctors is made, fatw
injudiciously, to extend over four adjacent lights wSl
the style is not that latest and debased kind whlh S
tolerated such a confusion between the ideas of a can™*
picture and a merely storied window. Our engraving con
veys a good mea of this window. Praiseworthy too is n
Romanesque window, with medallions depicting the life of
St. Peter, but the red is too predominant. A single ligh
is occupied by a figure of St. John the Evangelist! a floral
diaper being the commendable substitute for a canopy A
group of the Wise Men's Offering is too crowded to be en
tirely effective; and in a couplet of lights representing
the Agony and the Last Supper, there is little to admire
except a very tolerable diaper pattern.
_ The works of Messrs. O'Connor are deserving more atten-
tion than we can give to them; while those of Messrs
Hoadley, Hebley, and Tobey are severally good of their
kind, but by no means Sufficiently excellent to warrant
illustration. M. Gaunt has played the practical joke of
exhibiting among the glass what is no glass at all, but a
transparency of muslin—very fairly painted, however,
with a diaper and the emblems of the Evangelists.

Of the French stained glass we could speak in high
terms ; but we prefer to our own opinion that of the
author of " The "World in its Workshop " :—

With the exception of two or three productions, the
French, says Mr. Ward, have certainly the finest speci-
mens of glass-staining in the Exhibition. Here may be
studied the different phases through which the art has
passed from the thirteenth century to our own time. The
primitive artist must have struggled hard to overcome
the clumsy leaden frames, which reduced him to so scanty
a surface of illustration ; while, in the present day, more
ample and effective means are supplied, by the inventive
resources of industry, for the exercise of the art. The
science of blending in harmony a few primaries was com-
paratively easy, but the difficulty now is how to neutralise
one colour, or shade of colour, by another ; and to effect
this the artist is necessarily compelled to sacrifice the con-
ventional treatment which formerly might be highly use-
ful and advantageous to perfecting the art. The models
of this or that century, therefore, are comparatively value-
less ; and it only raises a smile when we hear this or that
production censured simply because it may chance to differ
from thi3 or that assumed standard.

The productions of M. Lusson, are, perhaps, entitled
to the first notice, from the merit which they display.
His imitation of a lancet window of the thirteenth century,
in the Sainte Chapettc, is an effective illustration of the art
of that period. The figure of St. Symphorosa, in the Re-
naissance style, is equally effective ; but we prefer the
secular subjects of this artist. The two lovers telling their
tale to an old shepherd, is after the pastoral scenery of
Louis the Fourteenth's time, when the country swains
were dressed out in the style of the court, and simply i
acted their parts as though it were a genteel comedy. Stiil j
the effect of the scenery, the character of the figures, ana j
the variety of the shades of colour have an artistic appear- ,
ance on glas3. In another illustration of the same artist j
we perceive the gradual departure from the old stereotype i
form of glass-staining; here we have all the beauty of the
vineyard depicted, which, with the foliage, birds, and
flowers, and the variety of colour required to work these
objects out, presents a most charming effect. M. Lusson
has also attempted the enamel, but it will not compare
with that of Baillie, which we shall shortly notice. M.
Thibaud has given us a vigorous representation of an old
friar, with a skull in his hand, which, though coarse m
some respects, is by no means deficient in the true quality
of art. The u Last Supper," by the same artist, has a
little too much of the French class of sentiment to suit

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