It has only been by artists going back to the fundamental conditions, and keeping faith with them, that a revival of glass-painting has taken place in our time.
Now we might divide design in glass into two parts:
1. Design in lead line.
2. Design in coloured light.
THIRTEENTH CENTURY GLASS FROM THE SAINTE CHAPELLE, PARIS (SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM).
Both demand the full light of the sky to do them justice, but especially the colour work, and therefore can only effectively be used for windows placed high, or above the level of the eye, in the wall like church windows, for it is only the full strength of light which brings out the full beauty and depth which the best work in glass always possesses; and in some qualities of glass, indeed, only full sunlight will discover their inner heart of jewel-like colour.
Very beautiful effects in window glazing are produced by patterns formed of plain leads, and their value has of late been perceived by architects, who largely use them in domestic work. Either seen from within or without the effect is pleasant, and suggests a sense both of comfort and romance which refuse to be associated with large blank squares of plate glass and heavy sash windows, which require a Samson or a Sandow to lift.
Inside, the effect of large panes of plate glass is cold. Outside, it forms great holes in the architecture, but, with the use of leads, if the opening is large, there need be scarcely any diminution of light inside, while the network of lead forms a pleasant relief to the window surface and unites it by pattern with the architecture of the building.
The pliant grooved strip of lead, then, is the glass designer's outline. With it he weaves his plain pattern, which he can enrich with spots of colour or by jewels of light in escutcheons and roundels; and when he comes to planning an elaborate figure panel he is bound to contrive a well-constructed basis of leading to hold his colour and form together, and by means of its bold black bounding lines to define the masses of his pattern, each different tint of glass being inclosed by a lead line, and shading, faces, hands, and small details being added with brush drawing in brown upon the coloured glass.
