2019.5
Saint Bavo of Ghent and a Kneeling Donor
Artist
Artist Unidentified
Title
Saint Bavo of Ghent and a Kneeling Donor
Creation Date
ca. 1525-1530
Century
early-mid 16th century
Dimensions
8 3/4 in. (22.3 cm)
Object Type
glass
Creation Place
Europe, Flanders
Medium and Support
painted glass roundel
Credit Line
Bequest and gift of Miss Susan Dwight Bliss, Charles Potter Kling and Dr. Bernard Samuels, by exchange
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
2019.5
Stained glass is perhaps the material most commonly associated with medieval art, especially in the monumental cathedrals of the Gothic period. By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it had become more widespread in civic and domestic spaces, as well as religious buildings, and small panels like this roundel were included within larger expanses of windows in wealthier homes, commercial buildings, and town halls across much of present-day Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and France. While the iconic stained glass of the twelfth- and thirteenth-century cathedrals was rich with deep, saturated reds and blues, this panel displays the lighter and more translucent yellow and gold colors achieved with silver stain, a technique which was introduced to Europe, perhaps from Arabic sources, around 1300.