Stained Glass Work: A text-book for students and workers in glass

In the same way section "A" seen upside down gives the appearance of a diamond-cut, also from left to right, and multiplied 15-1/2 diameters, while "B" held in the same position gives the same cut multiplied 78 diameters. The nature of these things is discussed at p. 48.

In their natural colour, and under strong light, they are very beautiful objects under the microscope. Even a 10-diameter "Steinheil lens," or still better its English equivalent, a Nelson lens, will show them fairly, and some such instrument, opening out a new world of beauty beyond the power of ordinary vision, ought, one would think, to be one of the possessions of every artist and lover of Nature.

The illustrations that follow are from the work of the author and his pupils conjointly. Those in which no design has been added are for clearness' sake described as "by the author"; but it is to be understood that in all instances the transcribing of the work in the glass has been the work of pupils under his supervision. All design of diaper, canopy, lettering, and quarries is so, in all the examples selected.

X.—Micro-photographs. Diamond and Wheel Cuts seen in Section and Plan.

PLATE XI.—From Gloucester Cathedral—"St. Boniface" by the author and his pupils.

XI.—Part of Window. Gloucester Cathedral.

PLATE XII.—From the same—"The Stork of Iona" and "The Infant Church," by the same. Canopies from Oak and Ivy.

XII.—Part of Window. Gloucester Cathedral.

PLATE XIII.—Portion of a Window in progress (destined for Ashbourne Church), by the author. This has been specially photographed on the easel, to show how near, by the use of false lead lines, &c., the work can be got, during its progress, to approach to its actual conditions when finished.

XIII.—Portion of Unfinished Window, photographed from Work on the Easel.

PLATE XIV.—Drawings from Nature, by the author's pupils. Pieced together from various drawings by three different hands; made in preparation for design of Oak "canopy." See p. 324 and Plate XI.

XIV.—Drawings from Nature, in Preparation for Design.

PLATE XV.—Part of East Window of School Chapel, Tonbridge, by the author. From the cartoon: the figure playing the dulcimer is underneath the manger, above which is seated the Virgin and Child.

XV.—Part of Window. Tonbridge School Chapel, photographed from the Cartoon.

PLATE XVI.—Figure of one of the Choir of "Dominations." From Gloucester, by the author and his pupils.

XVI.—Part of Window. Gloucester Cathedral.

The names of the pupils whose work appears in Plate VIII. are J. H. Saunders and R. J. Stubington. In Plate XIV. A. E. Child, K. Parsons, and J. H. Stanley; and in the Plates XI. to XVI. J. Brett, L. Brett, A. E. Child, P. R. Edwards, M. Hutchinson, K. Parsons, J. H. Stanley, J. E. Tarbox, and E. A. Woore. The cuts in the text are by K. Parsons and E. A. Woore.

GLOSSARY

Antiques, coloured glasses made in imitation of the qualities of ancient glass.

Banding, putting on the copper "ties" by which the glazed light is attached to the supporting bars.

Base, (1) the light-tinted glass, white, greenish or yellow, on which the thin film of ruby or blue is imposed in "flashed" glasses; (2) the support of the niche on which the figure stands in "canopy work."

Borrowed light, a light not coming direct from daylight, but from the interior light of a building as in the case of a screen of glass. (The result is similar when a window is seen against near background of trees or buildings.)

Calm (of lead), the strip of lead, 3 to 4 feet long, as used for leading up the glass.

Canopy or "tabernacle work," the architectural framing in imitation of a carved niche in which the figure is placed. The vertical supports (sometimes used alone to frame in the whole light) are called "shafting."

Cartoon, the design of the window, full size, on paper.

Chasuble, the outermost sacrificial vestment of a bishop or priest.

Cope, the outermost ceremonial and processional vestment of a bishop or priest.

Core (of lead), the crossbar of the "H" section as shown in fig. 34.

Crocketting, the ornamenting of any architectural member at intervals with sculptured bosses or crockets.

Cullet, the waste cuttings of glass. Generally used over again in greater or less quantity as an ingredient in the making of new glass.

Cut-line, the tracing (containing the lead lines only) by which the work is cut and glazed.

Flux, the solvent which assists the melting of the metallic pigments in the kiln. Various materials are used, e.g. silica and lead, but unfortunately borax also is used, and I would warn the student to buy no pigment without a guarantee from the manufacturer that it does not contain this tempting but very dangerous and unstable ingredient. (See p. 112).

Form, the sheet of "continuous cartridge" or cartoon paper on which the dimensions, &c., are marked out for drawing the cartoon.

Gauge, (1) the shaped piece of paper by which the diamond is guided in cutting; (2) the standard of size and shape in any piece of repeated work (as quarry-glazing).

Grisaille (from Fr. gris, grey), work where a pattern, generally geometrical, in narrow coloured bands, is superimposed on a background of whitish, grey, or greenish glass diapered with painted work in outline or slight shading.

Groseing, the biting away the edge of the glass with pliers to make it fit. With regard to this word and to the term "calm," I have never found any one who could give a reason for the name or an authority as to its spelling, the various spellings suggested for the latter word including Karm, Calm, Carm, Kaim, and even Qualm! But while writing this book I in lucky hour consulted the treatise of Theophilus, and was delighted to find both words. The term he applies to the leads is "Calamus" (a reed), while his term for what we should call pliers is "Grosarium ferrum" (groseing iron). So that this question is set at rest for ever. Glaziers must henceforth accept the classic spellings "Calm" and "Groseing," and one may suppose they will be proud to learn that these everyday terms of their craft have been in use for 900 years, and are older than Westminster Abbey.

Lath, the ruler, 3 to 8 feet long, and marked with inches, &c., used in setting out the "forms."

Lathykin, doubtless old English "a little lath," described p. 137.

Lasting-nails, described p. 141.

Leaf (of lead), the two uprights of the "H" section (fig. 34).

Muller, a piece of granite or glass, flat at the base, for grinding pigment, &c.

Obtuse, an angle having a wider opening than a right-angle or "perpendicular."

Orphreys (aurifrigia, from Lat. aurum, gold), the bands of ornament on ecclesiastical vestments.

Patina, the film produced on various substances by chemical action (oxidation, sulphurisation, &c.), either artificially, as in bronze sculpture, or by age, as in glass.

Plating, the doubling of one glass with another in the same lead.

Quarries, the diamond, square, or other shaped panes used in plain-glazing.

Reamy, wavy or streaky glass. (See p. 179.)

Scratch-card, a wire brush to remove tarnish from lead before soldering (p. 144).

Setting, fixing a charcoal or chalk drawing on the paper by means of a spray of fixative.

Shafting, see "Canopy."

Shooting (in carpentry), the planing down of an edge to get it truly straight.

Squaring-out, enlarging (or reducing) any design by drawing from point to point across proportional squares.

Stippling, described p. 100.

Stopping-knife, the knife by which the glass and lead are manipulated in leading-up.

Tabernacle work, see "Canopy."

Template, the form in paper, card, wood, or zinc, of shaped openings, by which the correct figure is set out on the cartoon-form.

THE END

1

West of the road between Welwyn and Hitchin.

2

Paradise, canto vi. 1.

3

"how tastes of saltThe bread of others, and how is hard the passageTo go down and to go up by other's stairs."—Paradise, xvii. 58.

4

Coningsby, Book iii. ch. i.

5

"Sesame and Lilies," Lecture 1.

6

"Ariadne Florentina," p. 31.

7

"A Saturday's Dinner."

8

"Aratra Pentelici," p. 253.

9

"Ariadne Florentina," p. 108.