over, so as to subdue its brilliancy[1]. It should never be forgotten, that the value of an ancient authority depends upon its originality. The moment it is tampered with, its authenticity is impaired. There is no true artist who would not rather contemplate an antique torso, in its mutilated condition, than however well restored to what, according to conjecture, might have been its original state. These venerable remains ought to be preserved intact. The ancient artist alone should be permitted to address himself to us through them. A figure which has lost its head, or is otherwise mutilated, no doubt renders a glass painting defective; but it is far more disagreeable to detect an imperfect, or conjectural "restoration," of an ancient work. Indeed the restoration is the more dangerous in proportion to its deceitfulness—its similitude to the ancient work. A practised observer may discover the cheat, which therefore only excites his suspicions as to the originality of the rest of the painting; but it is to the student that authorities are of the greatest use; and he, through inexperience, is the more likely to be misled, by what he honestly supposes to be a genuine relic. If a showy effect is desired, that can be safely obtained by supplying in a copy all the defective parts of the original. Good taste is better evinced by treating an ancient specimen of glass as an authority, than as a mere matter of ornament.
It may be urged, that the ragged and mutilated condition of an ancient painting on glass has, in many instances, occasioned its entire destruction; the painted fragments having been cast aside, and replaced with plain white glass. But this again has been occasioned by the default, or indifference, of those whose duty it was to preserve, rather than to consent to the destruction of any harmless remnant of antiquity: and we must hope that the awakened taste for ancient art will prevent the recurrence of similar barbarism.
Painted glass loses so much of its interest and value, in every point of view, when removed from its original situation, that a collection of fragments from various places into one window, with
- ↑ An instance of a real restoration of an ancient painted window is afforded by the central east window of the chancel of Westwell church, Kent. The remnant of the painted glass in this window was re-leaded, and many of the missing pieces of glass supplied with plain bits of coloured, or white glass, by Mr. Willement, under the superintendence, and we believe principally at the cost, of William Twopeny, Esq., of the Temple. We have had occasion to examine this window ourselves, and can bear testimony to the good taste displayed in its repair.
