Glass Fragment
Unknown Artist
12th–14th century
Medium
Pot-metal glass, vitreous paint
Dimensions
Overall: 3/4 x 1 inch (1.9 x 2.5 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
1977.346.26
Art Historical Context
This delicate glass fragment, hailing from 12th–14th France, offers a tantalizing glimpse into the luminous world of medieval stained glass. Likely salvaged from a grand Gothic cathedral window—think soaring structures like Chartres or Sainte-Chapelle—this tiny piece (just 3/4 x 1 inch) captures the era's devotion to storytelling through light. During the High Middle Ages, French artisans crafted such windows to bathe sacred spaces in jewel-toned glows, illuminating biblical narratives for worshippers who couldn't read. Crafted from pot-metal glass—colored throughout by metallic oxides melted...