Two women are sitting on the grass in striped turbans set with sparkling jewels, their long hair cascading down their backs. They carry two interlaced letters: L and G.
The real subject of the stained glass is this central monogram. The ends of the letters are so tightly curled, like parchment, that they look as though they have been intricately worked in metal !
The letters identify the person who commissioned the stained glass. The L and G stand for Laurent Girard, Secretary and Controller General of Finances to King Charles the 7th of France. It is one of the oldest secular stained-glass window.
By displaying this Roundel at home, he was clearly broadcasting his elevated social rank.
With great skill, the artist has played with light to give an impression of volume and shape. It is clear from this masterpiece that he is a great master of the grisaille technique.
To create details, particularly on the faces, the painter removed tiny sections of paint with a needle before firing, to improve how the light shows through, for example on the bridges of the noses.
The only colour in this glass is yellow. It was applied using a technique termed ‘silver staining’, which was invented in the 14th century.
The artist is probably Jean Fouquet, official painter to the king, now considered one of the greatest French painters of the 15th century. Although we know of no other stained glass by his hand, the elegant figures of the young women are very similar to those in a manuscript that Fouquet illuminated, suggesting that this stained glass was also his work.
Inventory no : Cl. 1037a
Depth : 19,5 cm
Periods : 3rd quarter of the 15th century
Technique : stained glass
