Paris (Seine), Sainte-Chapelle, upper
chapel. Photograph courtesy of
Whitney S.Stoddard.
transcribe regulations governing the practice of glass painting. In the 15th century, the
names of glass painters, like other artists, survive with increasing frequency in
conjunction with their windows, such as the court painter André Robin, who worked at
Angers.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the status of the patron eclipsed that of the artist.
Seeking to elucidate sacred or theological precepts associated with a site or to express
personal devotion, remembrance, political prestige, or a combination of these qualities,
patrons of stained-glass windows encompassed a broad spectrum of French society.
Donor portraits testify to this diversity, whether monastic, episcopal, noble, or lay. They
are shown in supplication, as in the depiction of Suger at the feet of the Virgin, or holding
a model of their window, like the portrait of Canon Raoul de Ferrières in Évreux (ca.
1325). The beguiling representations of artisans at the base of windows, such as the
shoemakers, wine carriers, furriers, and bakers at Chartres, attest to the influence wielded
by laypeople as well. Heraldry, too, was a major means for importing the patron’s
identity. The fleurs-de-lis and castles of Castile filling the interstices of the north rose at
Chartres (ca. 1235) signify the royal sponsorship of Blanche of Castile and her son Louis
IX, while the arms below the cathedral’s south rose indicate the prestige of the noble
Dreux-Bretagne family.
The style and appearance of medieval French windows were directly related to the
window design. The
Medieval france: an encyclopedia 1686