,a ,,lecture ,,on    ,,stained ,,glass  
,,by    ,,professor ,r4 ,,anning ,,bell 
,r4,a41 ,r4,w4,s4          ,published at
 ,the ,royal ,college of ,art ,students'
 ,common ,room1 ,south  ,kensington1    
,s4,w4#g2 and printed by ,george ,w4    
,jones at ,the ,sign of ,the  ,dolphin  
in ,gough ,square1 ,fleet ,street1      
,london4 ,copyright4 ,all ,rights       
,reserved4          ,a ,,lecture ,,on   
,,stained ,,glass1 ,,delivered ,,in     
,,the ,,royal ,,college ,,of ,,art      
,,students' ,,common ,,room1 ,,by       
,,professor ,r4 ,,anning ,,bell1 ,r4,a41
 ,r4,w4,s41 ,,on  ,,tuesday1 #ca,,st    
,,january1 #aibb4      ,my subject of   
,stained ,glass is a very wide1 vague1  
large sort of  subject1 and of course it
 is quite impossible to talk about it in
 any  thorough way in the course of an  
evening4 ,you want to write books  about
 it4 ,i thought it would be interesting 
to you1 perhaps1 to talk  about the more
 recent variations and changes1 the     
evolution in the use  of glass4 ,the    

fact that this modification in ,stained 
,glass is very  largely the work of     
artists trained in this ,college should 
interest you  particularly4    ,stained 
,glass1 commonly so-called--it is a     
misnomer1 for it is really  coloured and
 painted glass--is one of the three     
great ,christian  decorative arts3      
,mosaic1 ,stained ,glass1 ,fresco4 ,they
 are in sequence1  roughly speaking1 but
 they overlap4 ,first1 ,mosaic in the   
earlier  ten centuries4 ,it began about 
the #dth century and went on to the     
,renaissance1 when its character        
changed4 ,you then get ,stained ,glass1 
overlapping it about the #abth century2 
and the third great ,christian  art is  
,fresco ,painting1 which flourished from
 the #adth century onward1  following a 
long and slow development from a very   
early period4    ,these three seem to be
 the main arts through which the        
expression of  the ,christian religious 
scheme1 its story1 and its emotion have 
been  conveyed--,sculpture has found    

expression in all religions4 ,they have 
a  considerable sympathy in the fact    
that they all demand plain surfaces1    
flat or curved1 and are all closely     
associated with architecture4 ,each  of 
them also has been so important1 so     
dominating1 that it has affected  the   
architectural treatment of the buildings
 which it was designed to  adorn4       
,coloured and painted glass is the      
outstanding decorative treatment of  the
 ,gothic period--the age of the         
cathedrals4 ,the earliest stained  glass
 which we know is1 ,i believe1 of the   
#ajth or #aath century1 and  there are  
but few examples existing now4 ,the     
great period runs from  about #abjj to  
#aeej or so in its full vigour4 ,that is
 the big cycle of  stained glass2 it    
went on living after that1 and is       
reviving1 ,i am glad  to say1 nowadays2 
but those centuries showed its highest  
and fullest  development4 ,it was then  
that the conditions of life and         
architecture  allowed its completest    

opportunity of expression4 ,after that  
it was  adapted--with a much simpler    
treatment1 with far less colour1 with   
more  painting on clear glass--to       
domestic decorative work1 and you will  
see  a good deal of ,continental work of
 a very pleasant and attractive type  of
 the #afth and #agth centuries4    ,the 
practical function of stained glass is  
comparable with that of  mosaic4 ,mosaic
 is an enrichment of the shadow4        
,buildings designed for  mosaic usually 
have quite small windows1 low down in   
the big domes or  sparsely set in the   
side walls1 and it is the mosaic        
enrichment of  shadow1 vaguely lit by   
reflected light from these windows1     
which gives  it its highest beauty4 ,the
 peculiar charm of mosaic depends       
largely  on the gold treatment of the   
background1 which is infinitely more    
attractive when seen on curved surfaces 
and lit from below4    ,stained glass is
 a method of glorifying and modifying   
the light which  enters a building2 it  

has a wide range1 from a limpid clarity 
to  rich and even sombre depths4 ,its   
power of emotional suggestion is        
considerable and this1 doubtless1       
commended it to the mediaeval mystics4  
,the spiritual function of stained glass
 is1 like that of mosaic1 by a  noble   
beauty of treatment1 to present elevated
 ethical and religious  ideas in a      
worthy way4 ,it may do this by means of 
symbolism1 or by  typifying virtues and 
moral qualities by individual figures of
 great  characters from mythology or    
from religious history4 ,for symbolism  
and these type-figures it is peculiarly 
suited4 ,further1 its function  is to   
enhance and to deepen the mood of       
religious exaltation which  the         
architecture of the building has already
 suggested to the  worshipper4 ,stained 
glass is essentially a method of        
strengthening1  carrying further and    
enriching the mood in which the         
worshipper finds  himself when he enters
 those noble buildings1 so full of the  

sense of  aspiration and exaltation1 and
 of the mystery which lies behind the   
outward show of things4 ,that is just by
 way of showing you the sort of         
attitude which1 ,i believe1 we should   
adopt towards stained glass4 ,you  must 
realise that your work is more than     
making pleasant and agreeable  colour   
and striking a casual note of beauty4   
,you have more than that to  carry out1 
and deeper feelings to express4    ,now 
to come down to the material1 to what is
 called stained glass4 ,the  fact is it 
is merely coloured glass4 ,it is glass  
melted and mixed up in  the pot with    
various coloured oxides1 green1 blue or 
red1 whatever you  want4 ,then the      
blow-pipe is put in1 and with a quantity
 of the sticky  mixture attached to it  
is then blown out into a large bulb1    
just as  ordinary window glass is1 and  
cut off and flattened out on big tables 
to cool4 ,the beauty of the quality of  
stained glass is very largely  owing to 
the irregularity of the thickness of it1

 and you often get  subtle variations in
 the colour1 streaks1 blotches of colour
 and so on2  the thickness of the glass 
makes quite an appreciable difference in
  the depth of the colour1 as you can   
easily imagine4 ,one selects from  the  
large sheet of glass the particular     
piece which contains a tone of  colour  
one wishes to use4    ,another treatment
 of glass is very largely used4 ,this is
 called 8flash0  glass4 ,it was found   
that if the glass were coloured right   
through with  vigorous blues1 ruby reds1
 and greens1 it became so deep that you 
did  not get enough light through it4   
,so quite early they found out a method 
by which a film of colour could be      
applied to a sheet of clear glass1      
usually of a greenish tinge4 ,you have  
the same thickness of glass as in  the  
other method1 but the colour is in a    
thin stratum on the surface  of it4     
,this 8flash0 glass has another         
advantage which we occasionally  make   
use of2 you can work away the thin      

veneer of colour1 leaving  only the dear
 glass1 an obvious method for making    
patterns4 ,it used  to be done by means 
of a wheel with which you ground away   
the surface  rather laboriously1 now you
 stop out with ,brunswick ,black the    
parts  you do not want to eliminate and 
apply acid--it is the same method  as in
 etching--and when you get down to the  
clear glass you get rid  of the acid4   
,then you can paint in your brown paint 
or yellow stain1  and you get quite an  
attractive effect4 ,you will often see  
it done in  rich robes and in crowns and
 things like that2 it is quite useful   
and  workmanlike1 but if it is used too 
much it becomes tricky and pretty4      
,now for the practice of the craft4 ,i  
am afraid this will be very  commonplace
 talk to those students who are working 
at stained glass1  but possibly some    
others will be interested4 ,i           
particularly hope the  more advanced    
painter students may be interested1 for 
it is to them  one rather looks to take 

to stained glass in the last years of   
their  education when they have become  
fairly competent in drawing and design1 
that is the time when stained glass     
should become to them a very  attractive
 and fruitful means of expression4 ,the 
modern practice is  extremely like the  
old practice4 ,the craft has the great  
attraction to  my mind of being one of  
those crafts which have changed very    
little all  through the ages1 and the   
workshop method of executing stained    
glass  now is very much what it was in  
the earliest days4    ,the tools are    
very much the same1 too1 except that for
 cutting the  glass nowadays we use the 
more convenient modern diamond4 ,the old
  method was simple but rather          
laborious4 ,when you wanted to cut out a
  piece of glass you got a rather       
stoutish iron wire which you made red   
hot1 and you drew the iron wire over the
 lines you wanted to break1 and  then   
with another tool you just nipped it off
 all round4 ,they did the  most         

extraordinarily elaborate things in     
those days with these4 ,i think  they   
got towards the later period to be far  
too fond of showing off  their skill4   
,they cut most preposterous1 irregular  
and odd shapes to  show they could do   
them2 it was a case of the skilful      
craftsman getting  a bit beyond himself4
    ,after the glass cutting comes the  
painting4 ,this is done in the same  way
 as it always was1 and the leading too4 
,there are several sizes  of leads1     
#a_/b in41 #c_/h in41 and #a_/d in41    
etc4 ,it is just a piece of  narrow lead
 flanged in the middle to separate the  
adjacent pieces of  glass1 and when the 
lead is fixed all round the pieces1     
cement is put  in to hold it together4  
,you want to be a good plumber to do it 
very  well1 as ,i think our students    
have found out4 ,i think all who        
practise  the art should go through the 
workshop and learn to cut the glass and 
to lead it up2 it is not a very serious 
part of their training2 it is  not      

necessary that they should become expert
 plumbers1 but they should  learn how   
and why it is done4 ,i should very much 
like to have an expert  plumber and an  
expert glazier to do that part of the   
work for the more  advanced students1 so
 that they could get on more quickly    
with advanced  work4 ,but ,i am afraid  
we shall not have that just yet1 owing  
to the  need for economy all round4     
,now getting further on1 ,i take it the 
earlier people designed their  windows  
in a much more simple way than we do4   
,they had no cartoons1 ,i  think4 ,i    
believe that they set the work out on   
the long wooden bench on  which the     
glass is laid to be leaded up and cut1  
and marked it out with  charcoal4 ,very 
often they had to use up bits of glass  
they had got1 and  make the designs fit 
into these1 as glass was very expensive4
 ,again1  the early work is generally   
based on geometrical forms4 ,a tall     
window  would be cut up into seven or   
eight diamonds1 circles1 quatrefoils1   

or such like2 with ornamental detail in 
between4 ,that gives an  opportunity of 
using up very small pieces of glass4 ,in
 those days  labour was not very        
valuable and glass was1 and so they did 
not like  to waste any bits4 ,nowadays  
you cut a large sheet of glass1 you get 
a  few bits out of it1 and often that is
 about all you can use of it4 ,they  had
 very few colours1 and as you could not 
go very far wrong with a  limited       
palette1 ,i really think very much of   
the beauty of the earliest  glass is    
because they could not help themselves4 
,the earlier glass was  glaziers' work1 
it was the men thinking of leading it up
 rather than of  the painter's work1 who
 made the design4    ,then about #acjj  
somebody discovered that extraordinarily
 effective and  useful material1 the    
yellow stain4 ,it was found that a      
solution of  silver painted on the glass
 would give1 according to its strength  
and  according to the firing1 all sorts 
of shades of yellow4 ,this led them  to 

escape from the coarse note in stained  
glass4 ,blues1 reds and greens  are very
 good as a rule1 but the neutral colours
 are rather poor1 the  purples are not  
very good1 and yellow is inclined to be 
coarse4 ,the  yellow stain was of great 
assistance1 and they could get nearly   
all  the yellows they wanted2 it was    
very much more manageable because they  
could shade it off4    ,the next thing  
is the paint1 which is just a sort of   
brown monochrome4  ,it is a colour which
 has an affinity with glass1 which1 when
 fired1  fuses into the glass and       
becomes part of it4 ,there are what are 
called  enamel colours1 that is to say  
they are enamels painted on and fired   
over the glass in the same way that the 
brown paint is fired on1 and  they give1
 of course1 variations of colour        
necessary in heraldry1 etc4  ,this      
method is rather to be distrusted1      
because it can only be used  safely in  
small quantities2 it is inclined to fly 
and disappear in  large spaces4    ,we  

have now dealt with the main materials3 
the glass1 the leads1 the  stain and the
 paint1 and ,i think ,i have said all   
that is necessary  about the materials  
themselves4 ,once you know your         
materials1 the  production of a stained 
glass window is essentially and properly
 a  piece of communal work4 ,i do not a 
bit sympathise with those people  who   
say they do the whole thing themselves4 
,why should a man who is  capable of    
designing a thing well be a plumber and 
glazier2 he ought  not to4 ,it is like  
the people who insist on building their 
own houses1  the sort of people who wear
 sandals and live on nuts4 ,besides it  
is  so unsocial2 it is so much better   
that it should be a communal art4 ,i    
like to think that the man who cuts the 
glass and the rest have some  kind of   
interest in doing the work2 they are not
 merely your slaves  to do a            
cut-and-dried job1 merely arbitrarily4  
,i like to talk it over  with the men1  
from whom1 too1 you often get quite     

useful suggestions4  ,my own training   
has been entirely that way4 ,i learned  
stained glass  backwards1 really4 ,i    
began by designing windows1 and then    
learned how  to work them--designing    
them all wrong1 and talking to the      
fellows in  the shop and learning about 
it that way4 ,i had the ordinary        
training of  a painter1 ,i thought a    
stained glass window was the kind of    
thing you  just did with charcoals and  
8genius40 ,i see now quite constantly in
 a  workshop in ,scotland my first      
stained glass efforts2 they are a very  
valuable lesson in modesty--they are    
quite absurd4 ,they turned out well     
enough because the fellows in the       
workshop knew their job2 they did it1   
and talked to me1 and ,i had the sense  
to see they knew the work better  than  
,i did1 and we got the work out pretty  
well in the end4 ,you people  here with 
a useful craft shop1 with all the       
materials to hand1 have a  tremendous   
advantage over us older people who just 

had to find out the  best way we could4 
,it was years and years before ,i really
 got to do it  in a workmanlike way1 and
 ,i am still finding out all sorts of   
faults4    ,first of all1 of course1 you
 get a commission2 that is quite a      
difficult thing to do4 ,the subject is  
next settled2 that also is often  a very
 difficult thing1 particularly if you   
have a ,committee4 ,then  you make a    
design and1 having got the design       
approved1 you get the  templates1 and   
set the thing out on the cartoon4 ,when 
you have to ask  for templates1 see that
 you get them made of cardboard or of   
paper1  otherwise the local builder will
 send you an enormous construction of   
wood1 which is very unmanageable1 costs 
a lot in travel1 and is very  awkward   
for setting out4 ,a piece of old        
wallpaper or brown paper will  do well  
for templates1 carefully marked as to   
their relative places in  the window and
 particularly with the 8inside0 well    
marked as well as  cut out to the       

shapes4 ,often all you need is the head 
of the window  above the 8springing0 and
 figures showing what length it is      
below4 ,you  cannot trust the masonry if
 it is not modern1 and not always then2 
old  work is almost always irregular4   
,there is a decorative window over      
there 7pointing71 those lights are      
extremely irregular1 and we had to  have
 a template of every bit of it2 one     
light is about #a-a_/b in4 wider  at the
 bottom than the top4 ,they sent the    
templates carefully measured  up1 and ,i
 set up the cartoons4 ,it seemed all    
right1 the window was made  and sent    
down and put up4 ,when ,i got to see it 
in the church1 ,i found  the windows    
were not horizontal at the bottom1 the  
middle one was #a in4  lower than this  
one1 and the other one #a in4 lower than
 that again4 ,the  result was these     
saddle bars1 which are quite straight on
 the cartoons1  made three steps in the 
window4 ,it is really rather            
disconcerting to  see the saddle bars   

running across slightly out of the true1
 it catches  the eye of a person used to
 making stained glass4 ,i was very angry
  with myself when ,i saw it on the     
opening day4 ,you must be quite sure    
that the shapes of the window are       
accurately produced1 and you must  not  
trust your template of the top of one   
light to do for the others2  you want   
one for each4 ,even in recent work1     
however good the mason is1  there is    
quite often some slight variation4      
,having got your templates1 you now get 
them traced out on the cartoon1  which  
has to be done very carefully4 ,having  
set out the shape of the  window1 you   
place the saddle bars across4 ,the      
function of these saddle  bars is to    
hold the window up2 without them the    
weight of glass in a  long window would 
bulge it out or drag it down4 ,these    
bars are usually  about #a in4 wide1 and
 the window is tied to them by means of 
copper  wires4 ,an advantage of that is 
that if the window has to be taken out1 

you only have to take out a piece at a  
time1 just untwist the wires and  take  
each piece between the bars away        
separately4 ,if you forget to mark  in  
the saddle bars on the cartoon1 you may 
find when you come later to  settle     
their positions that they cross a face  
or other important part  of your design4
    ,after you have got your cartoon set
 out1 you start making your drawing1    
and there are a number of cartoons here 
which show the varying  treatments      
different people use4 ,the usual method 
is to draw them in  charcoal1 and leave 
the colour to be taken from the small   
sketch4 ,you  will see some very        
admirable sketches here by ,martin      
,travers1 one of  our old students4 ,one
 can fairly trust to these to do the    
main colour  of the window4 ,they are so
 close to the design in detail1 that the
  sketch is quite enough to make the    
glass from without colouring the        
cartoon4 ,i find myself rather less     
decided than that1 and ,i am so         

inclined to vary the design on the      
cartoons1 that ,i have to colour them   
just to make sure ,i am not losing the  
proportion or the distribution  of      
colour4 ,if you are able to stick close 
to your sketch1 you do not  need to     
colour the cartoon2 if you are a person 
who varies1 it is best  to colour the   
cartoon4 ,there is also this to be said4
 ,one is very much  inclined1 in doing  
elaborate charcoal drawings1 to put in a
 great deal  too much detail and not to 
trust the glass enough2 glass itself is 
such a charming material that often the 
less detail on it in paint1 the  better 
the effect4    ,when you have done your 
cartoon1 it goes into the workshop1 and 
is  laid down on a large bench1 a       
stretch of tracing linen is placed over 
it1 and the middle line of each of the  
leads is traced4 ,that line is  drawn so
 as to be as thick as the central flange
 in the lead4 ,it is to  separate the   
two pieces of glass4 ,you have now a map
 of the window4  ,then all these shapes 

are numbered1 and they are either cut   
out or  another tracing is made and is  
cut out and numbered again2 the coloured
  glass1 which has already been chosen1 
is then laid over the paper  shapes of  
the separate pieces1 and is cut out and 
also numbered1 all  your pieces of glass
 are numbered and correspond to the     
numbers on the  tracing1 so that their  
places may be readily found4    ,before 
this you must have chosen the glass4 ,if
 you are not the head  of a workshop1   
the most practical method is to go      
through and choose  with the foreman1   
who is often a very intelligent man4    
,you choose the  main colours1 you      
choose your two or three principal reds 
and two or  three principal blues and   
greens1 and as they naturally carry     
through  the window1 they keep the key  
right4 ,then you have to leave it to him
  to choose the minor tints1 the various
 variations in these shades of  8white40
 ,there are a great many variations2 you
 want an expert man to  choose those1   

you cannot do it yourself unless you own
 the workshop and  spend your life in   
it1 because you do not know the stock4  
,if you do own  the shop and spend your 
life at it1 you find in a short time you
 have  got the business to get1 you have
 got to keep your men employed1 pay     
your rent and wages2 you spend most of  
your time in getting the work1  and the 
rest of your time doing the cartoons2   
and you have not got time  to look into 
the details of choosing the glass4 ,it  
is not a practical  thing4 ,nobody who  
is essentially a stained glass man can  
do the whole  work himself1 he has got  
to trust to other men2 it is necessarily
 a  piece of communal work4 ,the men    
work better if they have an interest in 
it4 ,of course1 though1 you supervise   
the whole and alter any piece you  don't
 like4    ,you have the glass chosen1   
the main tints1 and they are then cut   
out1  and the shapes all being settled  
by means of the bits of paper ,i spoke  
of1 then they are fixed as you see here 

on a large sheet of plain  glass1 fixed 
in the positions they are in on the     
cartoon2 all the  separate pieces of    
glass for as large a portion as it is   
convenient to  paint at one time4 ,then 
you put it up against the light1 and you
 paint  them from your cartoon1 or they 
are painted by a competent man4 ,that   
is the beginning of the final stage4    
,after they are painted once1 they  are 
fired1 and generally painted a second   
time1 and sometimes they are  done a    
third time1 with a sort of turpentine   
paint--they call it 8tar40  ,each time  
it is fired the paint fades a little3   
the second painting  is largely needed  
to strengthen what is fired away in the 
first4 ,one  is supposed to know what is
 to happen in the firing1 but sometimes 
unfortunate accidents happen4    ,after 
it is all painted the leads are put     
round these pieces1 they are  cemented  
together1 and that is the window        
finished for fixing4    ,now a word     
about the modern tendencies in stained  

glass1 and ,i am  very glad to say this 
is illustrated very largely by old      
students of  this school4 ,i speak of   
modern tendencies as compared with those
 of  thirty or forty years ago1 modern  
works since the ,gothic revival--such   
as the work done by artists of standing 
and distinction1 the works of           
,rossetti1 ,madox ,brown1 ,burne-,jones1
 ,william ,morris1 and others--,i think 
the principal alteration has been very  
much in the use of leading4  ,that      
sounds1 perhaps1 unimportant and vague  
to those who have not been  working in  
stained glass1 but it is really of the  
first importance4  ,the leading1        
theoretically1 and almost always in     
mediaeval people1  was simply done to   
separate one figure or one colour from  
another1 to  separate the head from the 
clothing1 and the armour from the       
surcoat1  and such things as that4 ,you 
had the lead lines drawn as far as      
possible simply round the form1 you     
would have lead lines round every       

separate colour1 but1 if you could help 
it1 you tried not to have any  lead     
lines across4 ,you tried to arrange it  
so that you could have a  plain piece of
 colour with lead lines round it1 and no
 interfering bars  across4 ,modern work 
has broken away from that very much1 ,i 
think myself  to the advantage of the   
art of stained glass4 ,the use of lead  
lines  not only to emphasise form but   
for structural reasons and to emphasise 
important parts of the design1 to give  
quality to the colour1 and  also to give
 opportunities of variation of the      
colour1 is one modern  tendency4    ,it 
was largely suggested to modern men by  
the fact that old glass as  you see it  
now is so much broken up by cross lines1
 because it broke  accidentally and has 
been mended4 ,they were so clever that  
they often  cut round dangerous shapes  
which did not last1 and had to be leaded
  across to hold the window together4   
,these proved to be so attractive  in   
enriching the window that the suggestion

 was taken up1 and it has  now become a 
vicious mannerism1 in fact ,i have heard
 of a man who had  a stained glass      
window deliberately broken up1 and just 
leaded up the  cracks4 ,but you may do  
it when you feel that it helps your     
design1 if  it emphasises interesting   
points1 or enriches the colour4         
,another tendency of modern glass is the
 tendency to the use of  silhouette     
against plain silvery glass4 ,it is     
going back to the later  middle ages1   
when they were fond of this treatment4  
,the silhouette  treatment has various  
qualities1 various advantages2 it       
emphasises and1  ,i think1 makes        
necessary a rather symbolic treatment of
 stained glass1  and as ,i think the    
symbolic is the more distinguished1 the 
more noble  use of the material1 this   
treatment has a strong appeal4          
,another tendency in the work of        
contemporary designers which ,i regret  
is the absence of bordering4 ,they are  
so inclined to treat figures and        

quarries right up to the mullion or wall
 without any border4 ,it is  severe and 
simple1 but you lose the advantage in   
colour very often4  ,this is a point for
 those of you who are attempting to     
treat modern  subjects in stained glass1
 because modern subjects are very       
difficult4  ,we have not the advantage  
our luckier ancestors had of seeing     
people  all round us wearing rich and   
strong colours1 colours akin to those of
  glass1 and also fine textures2 black  
broadcloth is not like the black  velvet
 worn by gentlemen in the old days4 ,you
 must find your colours  somewhere else 
if you want to use modern figures1 and  
you must manage  somehow by means of    
borders or the decorative crosspieces   
which divide  the window4 ,so ,i would  
suggest that you should pay as much     
attention  to the use of borders as you 
possibly can4 ,you can have a very good1
  rather silvery picture without much   
colouring1 such as modern subjects      
would probably demand1 and yet get your 

colour by having a rather rich  and wide
 border4 ,modern figures look best in   
quite small areas usually4    ,another  
tendency1 not very important1 but very  
helpful to colour1 is  that in the last 
thirty years the light glass has been   
used much whiter  and clearer4 ,when ,i 
began to do stained glass the correct   
thing was a  kind of dull green1 rather 
a sage green1 a 8greenery1 yallery0 kind
 of  thing4 ,i think it was because the 
dullish green stuff was thought to  give
 a less new or modern effect4 ,as you   
probably know1 very little  glass is    
white1 it nearly all has some tint1 but 
contrasting strong  colour knocks it    
out1 and makes you think it is clear4   
,there are a few  sorts of glass of a   
really clear1 limpid quality1 but you   
cannot use  them too much2 they are far 
too dazzling4    ,another tendency is1  
,i think1 to use more primary colours2  
strong  colours are used more and not so
 many secondary shades3 that is because 
the strong colours1 the real colours1   

red and blue and green1 the sober  and  
the sombre1 the deep and rich colours1  
are the most effective  contrast with   
this very silvery white4 ,when you get  
into half tones  of browns and greys1   
you get rather a dull effect4 ,the work 
done by  good men thirty or forty years 
ago is often of that character4 ,if you 
go to ,christchurch ,cathedral1 ,oxford1
 there are several windows by           
,burne-,jones and ,morris1 quite good   
ones1 but they look rather washed  out1 
except the earliest one which1 on the   
contrary1 is very vivid4  ,it is partly 
because the glass itself is not as deep 
and strong as it  might be1 and partly  
because there is not enough lead1 the   
pieces are  rather too big1 and partly1 
perhaps1 because there is some very good
  old glass to be seen near by4         
,another tendency which is a good one is
 the increased reliance upon  painting  
in line1 the increasing avoidance of    
that flat1 mat affair1  which has been  
the workshop tradition up till recently4

 ,like many  modern workshop traditions 
it is simply one of incompetence and    
mental  idleness1 it means they did not 
know how to do it better1 and you could 
also employ cheaper labour1 because you 
do not want the same type of  educated  
man to do it4    ,there is now a school 
of young artists who are doing very good
 work1  and ,i hope we shall soon have  
more--both men and women4 ,like pottery 
painting1 it must not be timid1 you have
 got to do it with a decided1  firm1    
steady stroke1 it does not do to be     
feeble1 any more than it does  on       
pottery2 it is the vigorous1 quick line 
you want3 vigour is even  more important
 than academic accuracy4 ,but of course 
a good man can do  it correctly4        
,there is also considerably more        
restraint in the amount of pattern on   
costume1 borders1 etc41 and therefore   
more reliance on the quality of  the    
glass itself4 ,those elaborate and      
ingenious patterns so general  in1 at   
any rate1 the greater number of late    

nineteenth-century windows  are found to
 be tedious and worrying2 their object  
was1 as a rule1  to enrich a rather poor
 quality of glass4 ,nevertheless        
well-designed  pattern work is very     
useful when judiciously used4    ,now a 
few words to students who propose to    
take up the study of stained  glass4    
,first of all get thoroughly used to the
 material and practise  painting it1    
leaving the design of less important    
detail until the  glass is being        
handled4 ,the constant danger to the    
designer is the  cartoon4 ,i find that  
new students are far too apt to make    
elaborate  cartoons before they are     
sufficiently familiar with the glass    
itself1  and to cover them with details 
of ornament of a character which will   
not really help the result4    ,stained 
glass is severe and at the same time    
rich4 ,as with every  technique the     
subject must be inseparable from the    
treatment4 ,the  artist's subject that  
is4 ,this is not the same as that which 

the  spectator regards as the 8subject10
 and it is not the 8art for art's  sake0
 subject4 ,it is not beauty divorced    
from meaning1 except in the  simpler    
forms of lead lighting or patterns in   
colour4 ,these are often  useful1 often 
wanted1 but they do not demand the      
highest imaginative  qualities which our
 art can express4 ,i have little        
sympathy with the  desire to reduce our 
arts to the abstract4 ,it is too austere
 and too  puritanical an ideal4 ,they   
are the better1 ,i think1 where the work
 is  conceived in a moment of fervent   
exaltation4 ,it may be religious1 it    
may come from poetry1 from music1 from  
the external beauty of ,nature2  it may 
come as the wind comes1 one knows not   
whence1 but it sets a  flame1 as it     
were1 to the imaginative mind1 and in   
that flame the  artistic subject is     
born4    ,now without a real grasp of   
the craft this moment is wasted4        
,nothing  is welded4 ,the beautiful     
possibility cannot come to the birth1 it

 is  without form1 it has no bodily     
shape1 and is but one of those pitiful  
unrealised and unrealisable glimpses    
through the veil which form the  tragedy
 of the incomplete artist4    ,only when
 you are so familiar and so easy with   
your means of expression  that their    
limitations1 their so-called restraints1
 are to you a help  and a happy freedom 
and as natural to you as the organs of  
your body1  can you hope to realise the 
gift which is offered to you and        
transform  it into your own artistic    
expression4    ,this does not imply that
 8to carry out the carrying out0 will   
necessarily be easy1 any more than it is
 always easy to make your body  obey    
your wishes2 but it will be natural1 and
 the transformation will  be            
unconscious1 just as a school-boy is    
transformed into a cricketer  quite     
unconsciously1 but yet cricket is not   
easy4    ,to get down to facts1 what all
 this means is that you must work at    
your  technique until you never dream of

 wanting stained glass to do the  things
 which stained glass won't do4    ,now  
stained glass is at its best1 as ,i have
 said1 a severe and yet rich  form of   
decoration4 ,it can1 in its lighter     
uses1 express a sort of  quaintness or  
whimsicality1 it can tell the gothic    
fairy tale--goblins1  elves1 gnomes1 it 
can express a somewhat grimmish form of 
fantasy4  ,i remember seeing a capital  
piece of work--quite small--giving the  
characters of that strange old ,cornish 
song 8,widdicombe ,fair10 a rather      
macabre story--with the ,ghost of the   
,old ,grey ,mare1 ,peter ,hawke and  the
 rest of the rout4 ,but it cannot easily
 be gay and it can never be  frivolous4 
,how depressing is restaurant stained   
glass6 ,i am speaking of  stained glass1
 i4e41 coloured glass4 ,white glass1    
painted1 can convey  a certain sedate   
cheerfulness1 as one may see in #afth   
and #agth century  domestic work2 and   
when enamelled1 as in the ,swiss work1  
it even has  a sort of sprightliness1 of

 a ,teutonic rather than of a ,latin    
type4  ,excursions along these paths    
might give very interesting results to  
those whose temperaments lead them to   
such adventures4 ,they have been  by no 
means explored--and some of our students
 are gifted that way4    ,we modern     
people stand at a disadvantage compared 
to our ancestors in  that the           
surroundings of our lives are not so    
immediately suggestive of  treatment in 
glass as those which they enjoyed4      
,think of the luck of  that man in      
,richard ,,ii's time who had to put 8le 
,dispencers0 round the  choir at        
,tewkesbury4 ,not1 of course1 a great   
imaginative subject1 but a  very        
pleasant1 interesting1 and easy         
job--gorgeous knights in surcoats  with 
their arms emblazoned4 ,and then think  
of being asked to do a  modern ,cabinet 
,council6 ,nevertheless there are       
suggestions to be got  from modern life1
 and ,i am glad to see that our students
 are aware of  it--children1 women--men 

are more difficult4 ,texture as well as 
colour  is a difficulty1 it cannot quite
 be ignored4    ,but the great1 the     
profound difficulty is the absence of   
symbolic  figures1 of characters which  
have been 8canonised0 in our times by   
popular acclaim1 and symbolism must be  
widely and readily recognised  to be of 
value4 ,think of all the great moral    
qualities--and these are  naturally the 
motives of much stained glass4 ,is it   
leadership in war8  ,it is not ,general 
,haig1 nor even ,foch1 your mind flies  
to--but ,joshua  or ,david1 or ,godfrey 
de ,bouillon4 ,is it statesmanship8 ,it 
is not ,lloyd  ,george or ,gladstone1 or
 even ,william ,pitt--but rather ,moses 
or ,gregory1  ,hildebrand or ,anselm4   
,is it patriotism and self sacrifice8   
,well1 there  are many graves 8which are
 for ever ,england10 and yet--it is     
,joan of  ,arc we think of4 ,probably1  
,florence ,nightingale and ,general     
,gordon are  the only characters which  
have been 8canonised0 in recent times4  

,and  even in the case of ,gordon does  
the present generation feel about him   
as we older ones did1 who watched his   
tragedy and cherish his memory8  ,if it 
comes to other than moral virtues1 to   
figures typifying factors  in the       
structure of ,society--,law1 ,kingship1 
,commerce1 ,labour8 ,law would  scarcely
 be a ,lord ,chancellor 7or ,justinian71
 but again ,moses1 with the  ,tablets   
given him from ,the ,mount4 ,kingship   
would hardly be a modern  sovereign--but
 ,barbarossa as in the ,spanish ,chapel1
 or ,charlemagne1 or  our own ,king     
,arthur4    ,commerce is1 ,i confess1 a 
difficulty4 ,i think possibly the       
gracious  figure of ,venice would be    
best4 ,certainly not the ,port of       
,london  ,authority or ,sir ,alfred     
,mond or ,lord ,leverhulme6 ,for        
,labour1 not  that gorilla-like figure1 
with a huge jaw and no back to its      
head1 brandishing a pick or a hammer1 so
 favoured by the advanced  politicians1 
and some sculptors1 of to-day4 ,but     

rather--the shepherds  following the    
angel to the lowly manger4    ,it       
follows then1 that those who wish to    
excel in stained glass  designing should
 have a wide culture and real           
imagination1 a sound  knowledge of the  
necessary technique1 and a thorough     
delight in the  craft4 ,i feel sure1    
too1 that they would be all the better  
for study  and design in other methods  
of artistic expression in order to avoid
  that staleness and repetition which   
too often comes to those who  practice  
one form of art alone4      ,,robert    
,,anning ,,bell4        ,transcriber's  
,note      ,text in italics is indicated
 by underscores4    ,no changes were    
made to the text as printed4    ,while  
original copyright information has been 
retained1 this book is in  the public   
domain in the country of publication4