Chess Players Stained Glass, prov. the Hôtel de la Bessée at Villefranche-sur-Saône

The National Museum of the Middle Ages holds a number of pieces which could be gathered under the heading "The Art of Colour". They embrace apparently unrelated domains: from illuminated lettering to the great cycles of mural paintings, including panel paintings for domestic or religious use. Only the stained glass seems different because its creation puts three techniques to use, that is, painting, fire and metal. Panel painting was practiced by artists who could also be illuminators or tapestry designers. The technique of painting on wood panels, little developed before the 14th century, became much more popular at the end of the Middle Ages. The discovery of oil paint, which is attributed to the Flemish, was a capital element of the evolution of art at the end of the Middle Ages.