The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (458 page)

stained glass
.

Glass that has been given translucent colour in any of various ways, used particularly for creating pictorial designs in church windows. The art began in the service of the Christian Church and is of Byzantine origin, but in its most characteristic development and its highest achievements it is essentially an art of Western Christendom, practised most splendidly in the west and north of Europe as an adjunct to
Gothic
architecture. Its early history is obscure, and the first surviving complete windows—in Augsburg Cathedral and dated
c.
1050–1150—show an art already nearly perfect in technique. Medieval windows are generally made up of hundreds of small pieces of glass of varied colours and shapes held together by strips of lead—somewhat like a jigsaw puzzle with dark outlines around the pieces. Windows of any size were made up of several panels so treated, and these were set in a framework of iron (‘armature’) that served not only as a support against wind pressure, but also to accentuate the main lines of the design of the window. The period from roughly 1150 to 1250 was the greatest age of stained glass: colours were strong and simple; designs were bold and fresh; and the feelings conveyed were lofty and awe-inspiring. From the 15th cent. stained glass tended towards a greater pictorialism, imitating the effects of oil painting, and this trend reached its height in the 18th cent., when some artists painted on glass more or less as they would on canvas. With the Gothic Revival in the 19th cent. there came a return to medieval principles, and William
Morris
and his associates (notably
Burne-Jones
) were among the foremost designers in this spirit. In the 20th cent. many noteworthy artists have designed stained-glass windows, in both figurative and abstract veins—among them
Chagall
,
Matisse
, and
Piper
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

(1793–1867).
English painter, best known for his marine subjects. From 1808 to 1818 he was a sailor, first in the merchant service and then, after being press-ganged in 1812, in the Royal Navy. He was invalided after being disabled in a fall from the rigging, and took up painting as a career on the advice of his captain at the time, the novelist Frederick Marryat . His initial success came as a scene painter (he won renown for his spectacular
dioramas
at the Drury Lane Theatre), but from the 1830s he concentrated on easel paintings. With these he gained the reputation of being ‘England's van de
Velde
’, and apart from
Turner
he was indeed the best British marine painter of his period. His work is represented in numerous British collections, including the National Maritime Museum and the art gallery of his native Sunderland.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Stantons of Holborn
.

A family of English mason sculptors with a large workshop at Holborn in London managed successively by
Thomas
(1610–74), his nephew
William
(1639–1705), and the latter's son
Edward
(1681–1734). They were much patronized by the lesser aristocracy and the professional classes, and their monuments are widespread in England. Their designs are usually conservative, but William was one of the best English sculptors of his generation.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

(1585/6–1656).
Neapolitan painter. Like so many artists in his city at this time, he was strongly influenced by
Caravaggism
, but his style has a distinctive refinement and grace that has earned him the nickname ‘the Neapolitan Guido
Reni
’. He was head of the busiest studio in Naples, and many of his works are still in the churches of the city, his master-piece being the eloquent
Lamentation
(1638) in the Certosa di San Martino. His most important pupil was
Cavallino
. Stanzione died in the terrible plague that struck Naples in 1656.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

state
.

Term applied to any of the stages through which a
print
may pass as an artist alters the design. The first state is represented by the first proof taken from the plate. If no alterations are made this can also be described as the ‘only state’. Often, however, particularly in
etching
, the artist will alter the design several times before reaching the final state; several impressions may be taken from the printing surface each time it is altered, but sometimes only a unique impression may exist. Differences in states may be so subtle that experts can disagree as to whether they are in fact intentional or are simply the result of chance or wearing of the plate. Some of
Rembrandt's
etchings, however, exist in radically different states involving a major rethinking of the design.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search