DURING THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
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of William Archbishop of York , esatirnt ; and St. John of Bridlington, S’t’a Sfofr $rtor Hritriingtone;
together with a compartment containing the Four Evangelists, which is late glass of about 1490.This deserves an especial notice from its singularity, as well as from the unequivocal proof which itgives of symbolic and heraldic representation being the governing principle of sacred ornament,even down to this late date. It is a panel compartment, which originally had a canopy over it, andno doubt comprised one of a series of similar symbolisms. The panel part contains figures of thefour Evangelists, represented as old and young men, winged and seated, each holding pens and inthe act of inscribing scrolls, which are thrown over lecterns or desks, at the foot of each of which aretheir several appropriate attributes, viz., the winged angel, lion, calf, and eagle, all of which are eitherholding or regarding the inscribed scrolls as they fall from the desks. The inscriptions are notlegible, but, as they are symbolically representative of the inspired writers in the act of inscribing theHoly Gospels, they were probably portions of them. They are all intermixed in the same panel, anddisplayed on one common ground of ruby diapered with a rich pattern.
“has been long celebrated throughout the West of England for the profusion and beauty of itspainted glass ; it is,” says Gilbert , “ distinguished also as being the only sacred edifice in Englandthat remains decorated with the legends of a local saint.” * But the latter remark is erroneous, forother examples do remain, the St. Robert of Dale window in Morley church being but one amongstothers. This edifice is, however, magnificently adorned with windows, the whole of them beingfilled with stained glass, some of which are of the middle, but most of them of the latter part, of thefifteenth century. The St. Neot window is in the north aisle; it is of four openings, which containtwelve compartments illustrative of the life and miracles of that saint. The Creation window is atthe east end of the south aisle; it consists of five principal openings, and in the tracery of fourteenperpendicular spandrels, which are filled with angels bearing various musical instruments, symbolicdevices, inscribed labels, &c. These are wholly on white glass, all the portraitures being in brownlines with shading, but much relieved in different parts by stained yellow. The principal openingscontain each of them three subjects, making in the whole fifteen. These have all got canopies ofhexagonal character, but no pedestals. The bottom compartments rest on the stone cill, and theupper line of each canopy forms the rest for the middle subjects, but the upper ones run into thetracery by spirally pinnacled effects and coloured back-grounds. Although these panelled pictures *for the most part imply the existence of landscape and verdure, nothing is attempted towards anatural representation by tinting those parts green, but all is managed by brown lines, certain partsbeing stained yellow; and the only parts of these pictures otherwise coloured (excepting the back-grounds) are the dresses of the figures, as in the east window of York Minster , and that of theInvention of the Cross in Morley church. The back-grounds, however, of these do differ from thosejust named, for they are coloured quite upon the heraldic principle of counterchange, such as rubyin one, green in another, blue in another, and so on throughout the window. So in like manner theclouds are depicted as in heraldry—that is, nebulee—and water in flowing lines, in heraldry calledwavy. The diversity of tints in the back-grounds produces a richness and charming balance ofcolouring. To prevent heaviness, convoluted scrolls are placed on them, the inscriptions on whichexplain the several subjects.
The following description of one of the compartments in detail will serve as an example ofthe whole.f Beneath a canopy appears the back-ground, (namely, that space which is occupied byaerial effects in an ordinary picture,) which is of ruby, and on which is an escioll insciibed “ HieD’n’s,” &c. Beneath this are represented mountains and trees portrayed in white, brown, and yellow ;the Eternal Father is standing in the midst dressed in a blue mantle and purple tunic, both fimbriated.
* See Hedgeland’s Description of the Windows of St. Neot’s, with Collections, &c. respecting St. Neot , by Davies Gilbert , M.A., F.R.S,1830, 4to.
■f“ See print of Braxted window, which will convey some idea of the general arrangement of these compartments.