Fragment

Unknown Artist

ca. 1200

Fragment by Unknown Artist

Medium

Pot-metal glass, vitreous paint, lead

Dimensions

Overall: 7 7/16 x 5 7/8 x 3/16 in. (18.9 x 15 x 0.5 cm)

Classification

Glass-Stained

Culture

French

Department

Medieval Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of Ella Brummer, in memory of her husband, Ernest Brummer, 1977

Accession Number

1977.346.3

Art Historical Context

This delicate stained glass fragment, dating to around 1200 and originating from France, offers a glimpse into the luminous world of medieval church decoration. Created during the early Gothic period, when grand cathedrals like Notre-Dame and Chartres were rising, such panels transformed sacred spaces into vibrant storytelling mediums. Though the exact scene it depicted—likely biblical or saintly—is lost, its survival speaks to the era's architectural ambition and devotion. Crafted from pot-metal glass, where metallic oxides were fused into the molten silica for deep, jewel-like colors, the f...

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