French; From the abbey church of Saint-Ouen, Rouen, France
Pot-metal and colorless glass, with silver stain and vitreous paint
10 ft. 7 1/2 in. x 35 1/2 in. (323.9 x 90.2 cm)
The Cloisters Collection, 1984 (1984.199.1–11 and 48.183.2)
In this fourteenth-century panel, the vibrant color and robust lines of thirteenth-century stained glass were jettisoned in favor of colorless glass painted with leafy vines growing on a trellis. The three foliate designs, each of which is remarkable for its delicacy and refinement, are identifiable not only by their botanical species but also as patterns known to have originated at Saint-Ouen. The two lower panels display the periwinkle flower; the third panel represents the leaf of the strawberry plant; and the top two depict geranium foliage. The colored borders incorporate buttercup leaves with red and green quarries, and the center bosses are composed of whorls of artemisia leaves entwined with knotted ribbons of color.
