Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-26


Painted by an Artist.
In making a stained glass window much
more labor and artistic Judgment are In
yolyed than might bo supposed. Though
the work is largely mechanical after the
artists drawing Is supplied, yet it is of such
nature that every workman employed in
the process must have raro eye for color
and great accuracy Of Judgment Tho first
step In making a picture window Is the
water color drawing Of the artist, setting
forth tho design, colurs and general effect.
From this is mndea black and white draw
ing OF the same size rs the window Is in
tended to be. Any errors In drawing be-
come Immediately apparent when the wa
tor color picture is enlarged, tho necessary
corrections being made before anything
moro is done
Aftor tho Large drawing is approved II is
laid Hat upon two sheets Of brown paper
with ordinary rlsiuu tracing paper laid
between each HApri a duplicnt0 tracing
Is then made By rulpiug 70 little wheel over
The outlines ~ tlv I.rturc ono OF tho
trucmgs 10 cut MP asa pattern f.rthu glass
cutters, This Is done BY an ingenious tool
called three legged scissors, which, when
cutting, runoycs ~ strip OF paper OF the
Same width as tho lead which win separate
the fragments OF glass whom Tho window
IA built mp. The paper patterns are then
pasted on q fheet Of glass IN the same pc.
sitlons as tho pieces Of glass will occupy
whom they are bound together by the lead
strips.
Now comos tho most critical part of tho
whole operation. with tho water color
drawing as n guide, the glass cutter has to
substitute for tho paper patterns tho pieces
Of glass which will form the window. As he
selects the particular color which is called
for by the wntor color sketch for each pa.
per pattern he strips OF tho paper and sub
stltutos the glass. Tho difficulty Of doing
this may bo appreciated when the great
number Of tlnts used In stained glnss win.
dows Is considered. In tho nno mosaic
work which is seen to such perfection In
the Vatican at Rome no less than 20, 900
different tlnts hrc used. OF course nothing
like that number IS employed In modern
picture windows, but the various shudea
are 80 numerous that an accurate ego Is
necessary 10 discriminate between thcnI
and TO uso thcm with Judgment
Tho cutter engaged In chooFlngand cut
ting the glass has sometimes 10 pick over
ton or more Of glass before he arrives nj
piccc suitable for some particular tint.
BY doubling piece Of glass or putting one
color behind another ELECTS arc often OBJ.
taincl which 1t would no impossible to
produce with a single plcoo OF glass. Tho
glass may bo suporlIcially stained or the
color may be Incorporated while the motion
glass IL stlll Ia tho cruciblc. In America
tho homogeneous Golurod glass Is generally
used, whilo In Europe thu stained glass il
almost entirely employed. In the homo
goncous glass metals and their different OK.
idcs nrc used for ooloring. As many rs II
different Ingredients arc used to obtain
somo delicate shades
Tho most expensive tint ia ruby, 10 oh
tain which gold ia employed The excel
luncc In color OF the antique stained glass
wlndows has been found to be largely due
to the lmperlCotions In tho glass which
was manufactured at that timo. Modern
glass is too smooth and clear for stained
glass work, because II transmits tho light
too evenly and consequently does not give
o good color effect. no remedy this glass
for stained windows II now made purpose
ly Of rough and uneven texture. Tho col
urs blend together huttor and give moro
brilliant effect whom the surinoo Of the
glass is rough and full Of minute blow
holes.
when the glass cutter has selected his
different tints and cut tho pieces Of glass
to correspond with the paper patterns, they
are placed In tho position they will oyentu.
ally occupy, To accomplish this tho hith-
erto undissected tracing Is laid on u sheet
OF glass, and tho outlines OF thoplcturc arc
painted ON tho glass, The glass fragments
are then plHced In position by means OF
those outlines. When this is done, the glass
Ia taken into the soldering room, and tho
pieces arc bound together by means Of
double groovcd strips OF lead. This solder.
ing process isR delicate ono, because the
lead lines themselves arc rolled upon to
give some OF tho general effect No means
have yet bcen discovered of staining glass
no that satisfactory flesh tint will DO oh.
tanned. All tho faces, hands and other
flesh parts of the body arc cut In white
opalescent glass and then painted. While
tho artist IS painting tho flesh parts tho
window Il mounted In rough frame and
all tho light is cut OF except that which
Eliminates tho piece OF opalescent glass to
DO painted,
Tho effect Is extremely odd when one
enters studio where several heads are be-
ing painted. All round the dark room may
ho seen faces staring out I'm luminous re-
lief, against n dark background. Here and
there q ghostly arm Is outstretohod or
mysterious hand suspended In mldair.
Whom tho eyes get used to tho darkness,
the artists and many OF tho surrounding
objects become visible, aud much of the
unanny effect disappears
There aro some special products OF rc-
cent invention which are OF great service
In obtaining effects, which It Is almost i'm.
possible TO produce by varying depths OF
color Among these Is the so called "drn.
pory glass" II Is made 10y crumbllng up
the glass when hot by special tool until
10 looks like a ploce Of drhppry When al
lowed to cool, IL remains In this condition
aud presents luminous representation Of
drapery twhen placed In window, which
Is surprisingly natural Feathers aro also
mndo by similar process for use in tho
wings of angels and arc equally nfeliko
when Illuminated from behind, - New
York Tribune.
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