Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, St.
Vincent. Courtesy of the Walters An
Gallery, Baltimore.
round-headed lancet openings of the later 12th century demanded an orthogonal
arrangement for armatures, with the panels frequently arranged in sequential rows of
circles or in alternating patterns of circles and squares, as in the west-façade windows at
Chartres. Blue and red contrasting backgrounds predominated, as in the expansive setting
of the Ascension (ca. 1140–45) from the cathedral of Le Mans, where brilliantly
alternating blocks of diaphanous blue and ruby-red backgrounds accent the upward
motion of the composition. The preciousness associated with color was emphasized by
Suger, who extolled the resonant blue used at Saint-Denis as “sapphire glass” (De
administratione 34), a reference to its inestimable luminous quality. Typically, a vivid
palette of greens, pinks, yellows, and blues complemented this emphasis. Wide jewellike
borders, evoking contemporary metalwork, customarily framed these 12th-century
compositions. The painting style of later 12th-century windows varied, depending on its
regional origin. It can generally be characterized as bearing a stylized, graphic approach
to the delineation of elongated figures and drapery folds and the rendering of often highly
expressive facial features.
With the introduction of double-lancet windows in the early 1200s, the organization of
window designs, particularly historiated windows in the nave aisles, was increasingly
defined by armatures molded into highly complex, centrifugal patterns of alternating
squares and circles. Epitomized by the windows of Chartres and Bourges, these molded
armatures played an integral role not only in window design but also in directing the eye
in reading the composition. Dispensing with single grounds of color, historiated scenes
were surrounded by mosaic grounds linked by ornamental bosses. The Saint-Chéron
The Encyclopedia 1687