Glass Fragment
Unknown Artist
12th–14th century
Medium
Pot-metal glass, vitreous paint
Dimensions
Overall: 2 1/2 x 4 in (6.4 x 10.2 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
1977.346.8
Art Historical Context
This delicate glass fragment, hailing from medieval France between the 12th and 14th centuries, offers a tantalizing glimpse into the luminous world of Gothic stained glass. Crafted during the height of cathedral construction, such as at Chartres or Notre-Dame, these pieces were integral to vast windows that transformed sunlight into storytelling spectacles, illuminating biblical narratives for worshippers below. Though small—measuring just 2½ x 4 inches—this evokes the grandeur of those sacred spaces, through a 1977 gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in memory of art dealer Ernest Brummer...