Stained Glass through the Ages(b)

Stained Glass through the Ages

by Brian Foden

The making of stained glass windows has evolved over the centuries.

　　While numerous cathedrals in Europe are adorned with magnificent stained glass windows, York Minster in York, England, holds a special distinction. It contains the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. Known as the Great East Window, it is 23 meters tall and contains 156 square meters of glass. The window was started in 1405 and completed in 1408 by John Thornton, a well-known craftsman in the 15th century. For this work, Thornton was paid roughly 56 pounds, which, in today's dollars, would amount to approximately US$300,000.

　　Built over a span of more than 240 years, from 1230 to 1472, York Minster has 128 stained glass windows consisting of an astounding total of two million individual pieces of glass, some dating as far back as 1270. As one might easily imagine, all this glass requires a lot of time to maintain and clean properly. For example, prior to World War I and World War II, much of the stained glass from the windows was removed so damage from warfare would not occur. Later, in 2008, workers began a restoration project on the Great East Window. This has included painstakingly removing and repainting each piece of glass. Furthermore, for routine cleaning, the windows are taken apart so that each piece can be separately cleaned. With two million individual pieces at York Minster, this means that each window can be cleaned only once every 125 years. Unfortunately, all this cleaning and restoration means visitors to York Minster need to put up with scaffolding in certain areas. However, that is a small price to pay to see the glorious beauty of stained glass there.

 

　　虽然欧洲的许多教堂都以华丽的彩绘玻璃窗来装饰，但位于英国约克的约克大教堂却是独树一格。它拥有世界上规模最大的中世纪彩绘玻璃。这扇相当为人所知的大东窗，高二十三公尺，并包含了面积达一百五十六平方公尺的玻璃。该扇窗是由十五世纪一位著名的工匠约翰‧桑顿于 1405 年开始制作，于 1408 年完工。这项工作让桑顿领到大约五十六英磅，相当于今日大约三十万美元。

　　约克大教堂从 1230 年到 1472 年兴建了两百四十多年的时间里，拥有一百二十八扇彩绘玻璃窗，总共用了惊人的两百万片玻璃制作而成，而其中有些玻璃可以回溯至 1270 年之久。正如人们很容易想象得到的，所有的玻璃都需要大量的时间来维护和适当地清理。举例来说，第一次和第二次世界大战之前，窗户上许多彩绘玻璃都被拆了下来，因此战争并未对它们造成伤害。后来在 2008 年，工人们开始对大东窗进行修复工程。工程包括小心地拆卸与重新粉刷每一块玻璃。此外，在例行的清洁工作中，窗户会被拆开来，如此一来每一块玻璃才可以被单独清洗。约克大教堂里有两百万块玻璃，也就是说每扇窗户每一百二十五年才会被清洗一次。不幸的是，这一切的清洗和修复工作意味着游客造访约克大教堂时，必须忍受某些区域摆放了鹰架。然而，那是为了要一窥当地彩绘玻璃的壮丽而必须要付出的小小代价。