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Milan Cathedral Stained Glass Windows

Milan Cathedral has a monumental cycle of stained glass windows, which date to various periods between the late fourteenth century and the 1980s.

History

The construction of Milan Cathedral had not been underway more than twenty years when in the early fifteenth century the production of stained glass windows for gradual incorporation into the new building began. The first section to be tackled was that of the great windows of the apse. Of these first productions, nothing but rare fragments remain since already in the century following many were redone. Among surviving material are six busts of elderly men in trefoil-shaped surrounds, are attributed to the famous miniaturist Michelino da Besozzo. These were originally part of a window of St Judith, later destroyed, and came to form part, as now, of the St Martin window.

In the latter half of the fourteenth century the builders acquired two glass furnances specifically intended for the production of stained glass, with a view to the needs of the particularly large and numerous windows of the apse, then under construction. Italian craftsmen such as Stefano da Pandino, Niccolò da Varallo, Maffiolo da Cremona, Cristoforo de' Mottis and Franceschino Zavattari were joined by master craftsmen from the great stained glass projects of the cathedrals in Northern Europe, above all those of the Rhineland and of Flanders.

Many of the fist stained glass windows were commissioned by the Visconti family, then ruling the city as Dukes of Milan, and whose arms or exploits they often depict. Later the expenses for the windows were met by the city's various craft and trade guilds, such as the college of notaries (the St John the Evangelist window), the spice merchants (the St Judith window), of the goldsmiths (the St Eligius window), and so on.

Production of the stained glass continued throughout the sixteenth century, with the realization of the windows for the North and South apse and for all the great windows of the main nave. The scene was dominated in this period by the master craftsman Corrado Mochis, from Cologne Cathedral and Valerio Perfundavalle from Louvain. In some cases the windows were produced following designs, but in other cases images were transferred to glass from cartoons by known painters such as Arcimboldo, Pellegrino Tibaldi, Carlo Urbino and other artists of the Mannerist school..

Production was completely halted in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and resumed only in the nineteenth. It was Giovanni Bertini who in 1838 began a complete reconstruction of the great monumental windows of the main apse and the two apses of the transepts. After his death in 1849, the work was continued by his sons Giuseppe and Pompeo.

However, the technique had been lost of how to produce stained glass windows by assembling pieces of coloured glass on to which a design had been transferred by the grisaille method. In the nineteenth century the technique followed was that of pittura a fuoco, that is, the tracing of a design in metal oxides on the glass, which is then heated to fix the image into the glass itself, a technique much closer to that of painting. When used specifically to color the glass, the latter is initially neutral and the technique gives much more modest results in terms of luminosity and chromatic intensity than that obtained by the ancients.. The original technique of composition from pieces of coloured, not painted, glass after the manner of a mosaic, was revived in the course of the twentieth century by Aldo Carpi and the Hungarian János Hajnal.

Description and Style

Windows of the Late Gothic and Renaissance Period (15th century)

The St John the Evangelist Window

The St John the Evangelist Window (vetrata di San Giovanni Evangelista), (no. 1, first bay of the righthand aisle depicts stories from the life of St John the Evangelist as drawn from the Legenda Aurea of Jacopo da Varagine. The window was reconstructed and restored in the 1960s. Commissioned by the college of notaries from Cristoforo de' Mottis, it was executed in the years 1473-1477. The humanist spirit pervading the thirty episodes of the Saint's life can be seen in the elegant fifteenth-century costumes and in the splendid architectural depictionssplendid architectural depictions, with their classic aspect and rigid perspectives.. The thirty episodes ddepicted concern the Saint's preaching and the miracles worked by him, from the death of Jesus till his own martyrdom, this latter represented on the bottom left. Most episodes are depicted in the setting of Renaissance buildings, including colonnades, basilicas and churches, all rendered with considerable attention to decorative detail. The restoration has successfully brought out the extremely fine detail of the expressions and the anatomical features of the persons, as also the sophisticated architectural ornamentation.

The New Testament Window

Vetrata del Nuovo Testamento, navata destra, XV secolo

The New Testament Window (vetrata del Nuovo Testamento) (no. 5, fifth bay of the rightand aisle), though not directly a work of Vincenzo Foppa, is regarded as reflecting his style. Dated to 1470-1475 and depicting various New Testament episodes, it is the work of Lombard masters who drew inspiration from Foppa's works and were influenced also by the Ferrara School. It traces the life of Christ from the Annunciation at the bottom, to the Crucifixion in the upper part and is very well conserved.. It employs quite clearly the grisaille method for the transfer of a cartoon design on to glass.

The St Eligius Window

The St Eligius Window (vetrata di Sant'Eligio) (no. 6, sixth bay of the righthand aisle), recounts the life story of the bishop St Eligius, Patron Saint of goldsmiths. It was comissioned by their guild from Niccolò da Varallo, who executed it between 1480 and 1489. It has suvived in its entirety.. Each episode has a Latin caption below it. The depictions are largely simple and familiar, and convey scenes of everyday life in the fifteenth century.. St Eligius' life is narrated in order from his birth (represented below), and then ascending his consecration as a bishop, his activities, and the miracles he worked. Unlike the preceding windows, not all the episodes are confined to a single panel, so that the Saint's birth, on the fifth row, figures in a double panel, and his foundation of a monastery, seen in the tenth row, is in a triple panel.

The St John Damascene Window

The St John Damascene Window (vetrata di San Giovanni Damasceno) (no. 25, righthand aisle of the North arm of the transept) is decored with stories of the Saint's life and was commissioned by the spice merchants in 1479 from Nicolò da Varallo. The panels depicting the Saint's life are a gallery of happy portraits of individuals, representative of the humanist period in which they were created, and they are framed in well balanced classical architectural settings, with strict attention to perspective..

The Apocalypse Window

Vetrata dell'Apocalisse, XV secolo

Vetrata dell'Apocalisse, XV secolo

The Apocalypse Window (vetrata dell'Apocalisse) (no. 20, the central window of the main apse, was redone in the middle of the nineteenth century by Giovanni Battista Vitiello and his sons Pompeo and Giuseppe (1835-1839). The original, whose subject had been the Vision of the Apocalypse, was commissioned in 1416 from Franceschino Zavattari, Maffiolo da Cremona e Stefano da Pandino. At the end of the fifteenth century came interventions by Cristoforo de' Mottis and Niccolò da Varallo. It is marked by a huge sun, one of the heraldic symbols of the House of Visconti, and had been commissioned at the beginning of the fifteenth century by Gian Galeazzo Visconti in person. Of this earlier fifteenth and sixteenth-century work of art some fifty pieces survive, incorporated into the upper reaches of the present window.. Externally the window has sculptures from the Annunciation at the sides in the centre, and is surmounted by the Visconti eagle. Each episode, in its own panel, has below the relevant verse from the Apocalypse or Book of Revelation.

Windows of the Late Renaissance and Mannerist Period (16th century)

The Old Testament Window

In the second bay of the righthand aisle (no. 2) the window is decorated with Old Testament stories by Lombard and Flemish masters of around the mid-sixteenth century, and others depicting the Passion of Christ that are inspired by engravings of Albrecht Durer. These come from the great windows of the apse, redone in the nineteenth century..

In the third bay of the righthand aisle (no. 3) there is a further set of Old Testament stories from Rhenish, Flemish and Lombard masters (among the latter Giuseppe Arcimboldo), of around the mid-sixteenth century..

In the fourth window of the righthand aisle (no. 4) there are still further Old Testament stories from sixteenth-century Lombard craftsmen.

The New Testament Windows

The second bay has a window composed from sixteenth-century fragments which came from the apse window dedicated to the New Testament, but redone in the nineteenth century. It now depicts events from the New Testament, and forms part of the cycle on the Passion of Christ..

The Window of the Four Crowned Saints

Pellegrino Tibaldi, vetrata dei Santi Quattro Coronati

In the fourth bay of the lefthand aisle (no. 36) is the window of the Four Crowned Saints (vetrata dei Santi Quattro Coronati, a Mannerist work executed accoprding to a design by Pellegrino Tibaldi in 1567. The Pinacoteca ambrosiana of Milan conserves the original cartoons from Pellegrini's hand, which [Corrado Mochis]] then transferred to glass. In the theatrical pose of vigorous figures featured in the episodes of the life of the Saint, there are clear signs of a reflection of the Roman style of Pellegrino Tibaldi, itself strongly influenced by Michelangelo Buonarotti in the massive figures. From below, the depictions are the Miracle of the chisels, the Baptism in prison of the four sculptors after their conversion, the four Saints at work, the Condemnation of the four Saints, and the Martyrdom in the presence of the Emperor Diocletian.

The Glories of the Virgin Window

Giovanni da Monte, vetrata delle Glorie della Vergine

The fifth bay of the lefthand aisle (no. 35) holds the sixteenth-century window dedicated to the Glories of the Virgin (vetrata delle Glorie della Vergine). It was executed by [Pietro Angelo Sesini]] and Corrado Mochis from cartoons of Giovanni da Monte, a pupil of Titian. One of the episodes still bears the artist's signature (G.M.F., for "Giovanni da Monte fecit"). Like other Mannerist windows produced during the episcopate of St Charles Borromeo, it spreads single episodes across several panels and thereby heightens the sense of monumentality. The influence of Titian is clear in many scenes, as for example the famous Titian work Assunta dei Frari. Working up from the bottom, Pentecost, the Transitus l' the Assumption (1565-1566).

The St Helen Window

In the sixth bay of the lefthand aisle (no. 34) is the St Helen Window (vetrata di sant'Elena), work of Rainoldo da Umbria and Valerio Perfundavalle (1574) and depicts the Finding of the Cross. The window is divided into only three great episodes, recounting the story of Constantine's mother Helen, who tradition narrates rediscovered the Cross of Christ in Jerusalem. The first episode, below, depicts St Helen freeing prisoners, then the series continues higher up with the Finding of the Cross and finally, at the top, the miracle worked by the Holy Cross.

The St Joseph Window

In the seventh bay of the lefthand aisle (no. 33) the window is that of St Joseph (vetrata di San Giuseppe) by Valerio Perfundavalle of Louvain, who was responsible both for the cartoons and for their transfer to glass. Commissioned by desire of St Charles Borromeo, the window is divided into four scenes. From below: the Annunciation, visible between the statues, the Visitation, the Nativity and the Flight into Egypt. This window, executed in 1576 is the last of those in the cathedral to survive from the Mannerist period.

The St James the Great Window

Vetrata di san Giacomo Maggiore, Corrado Mochis

The St James the Great Window (vetrata di san Giacomo Maggiore) (no. 10) is the work of Corrado Mochis and dates to 1554-1564. It was commissioned by Pope Pius IV, of the family of the Medici di Marignano. His name with the traditional arms of the Medici can be seen in the center of the window. Pius intended it to commemorate his brother Giacomo (James), known as Medeghino, a condottiero, who is buried in the structure below. For that reason, the window is dedicated to the brother's Patron Saint, St James. The five episodes of the Apostle's life depicted are each spread across eight panels, making a monumental whole. The fact of the Pope's involvement and the obvious artistic skill suggest a major role for a master of the Roman School. There are clear signs of technical innovations in comparison with other works of the same period, including the use of larger pieces of glass, a particularly lively range of color, marked above all by a contrast between blues and reds, and the particular markings that serve to highlight faces and figures.

Sono rappresentati, dal basso verso l'alto:

• I registro: busti di vescovi, Madonna e Cristo.
• II registro: Fileto disputa con Giacomo; Ermogene fa catturare Fileto perché non torni da Giacomo.
• III registro: a Fileto imprigionato viene mostrato il sudario con il volto di Cristo mandatogli da Giacomo; Fileto liberato miracolosamente ringrazia Giacomo; Ermogene evoca i demoni con pratiche magiche affinché incatenino Giacomo.
• IV registro: stemmi, insegne papali e grottesche.
• V registro: Giacomo soggioga i demoni che lo implorano di liberarli dal tormento del fuoco; Ermogene catturato dai demoni si prostra davanti a Giacomo.
• VI registro: Ermogene, convertito da Giacomo, diviene suo discepolo; Giacomo catturato è condotto davanti al sacerdote ebreo Abiatar.
• VII registro: Giacomo al cospetto di Erode; Giacomo condotto al supplizio incontra un paralitico e lo risana.
• VIII registro: Giacomo battezza Giosia convertito; il martirio di Giacomo e Giosia.

The St Catherine of Alexandria Window

The St Catherine of Alexandria Window vetrata di santa Caterina d'Alessandria (no. 14) was executed by Corrado Mochis in 1556 according to designs by Biagio Arcimboldi and his son Giuseppe. The window is a work of the artist's youth, the period of his formation. He was to become famous at the court of Emperor Rudolph II for the bizarre portraits depicted using as elements flowers, pieces of fruit or animals to create a human face. Those episodes in this window which have been attributed to him are unusual compositions in typically Mannerist style.

The St Martin Window

The St Martin Window (nº15) (vetrata di san Martino) and the Presentation of the Virgin (Presentazione della Vergine) is dated to the late sixteenth century and is the work of various artists. In the middle of the window are the Prophets, attributed to Michelino da Besozzo, regarded as being among the oldest panels now conserved in the cathedral.

The St Catherine of Siena Window

The St Catherine of Siena Window vetrata di santa Caterina da Siena, on the left side of the North apse (no. 30), was conceived and executed by Corrado Mochis. Although dated to 1562, it displays affinity with certain fifteenth-century windows that narrate the lives of Saints. All the episodes are each enclosed in a single panel, and the depictions are marked by strict use of perspective. As to the lower section, this shows greater stylistic freedom, with episodes of the Life of the Virgin designed by Giovanni da Monte in the same period (1562-1567). The "rose" at the top, like the trefoils below are typically Mannerist in style and decorated in a fantastical manner with putti, grottesque elements, and garlands of intertwined fruits.

The Apostles' Window

On the left (no. 31) is the window dedicated to the Apostles, which was executed from cartoons in the Mannerist period (1567) by the painter Carlo Urbino from Crema, who worked in a numerous Milan churches.. Unlike the other windows, the panels are not decorated with Gospel or hagiographical stories, but rather give a full-figure depiction of the twelve Apostles, with other Saints depicted below. The highpoint is the Coronation of the Virgin. The monumental figures, mostly depicted in niches, constitute a masterpiece of the artist's mature years. Striking are the chromatic richness and the plastic forms, thanks in part to the skill of Mochis in transfering the design to glass..

Windows In Romantic or Eclectic Styles (19th Century)

The St Agnes and St Thecla Window

The eighth bay of the lefthand aisle (no. 40) is occupied by a window with stories of St Agnes and St Thecla, a work of Pompeo and Guido Bertini from the years 1897-1905.

The St Ambrose Window

The St Ambrose Window (vetrata di sant'Ambrogio) (no. 41), redone in the nineteenth century, depicts various episodes in the life of the Saint, one of the earliest bishops of Milan. They are the work of Pompeo Bertini. The window displays, in comparison with others from the Renaissance period, use of spent colors and lighter tones, but in every episode St Ambrose. All the scenes show in their costumes and the background architecture special care in the historical recostruction of events taking place in late imperial Milan, and as always rigorous attention to perspective.

The Saints Gervase and Protase Window

The Saints Gervase and Protase Window (vetrata dei santi Gervasio e Protasio)(no. 9) is the work of Giovan Battista Vitiello (1849).

The St John Bono Windows

The three windows in the South apse (vetrate di san Giovanni Bono) (nos. 11, 12, 13) date to the mid-nineteenth century and were executed by Bertini (1839-1842).

The St Charles Borromeo Window

In the left aisle of the North arm of the transept there is a window (no. 42) with episodes from the life of St Charles Borromeo, executed in 1910.

The Blessed Virgin Windows

The North transept ends in a small apse that houses the chapel of the Madonna dell'Albero (Our Lady of the Tree), featuring windows (nn 27, 28, 29) with episodes relating to the Virgin, completely redone in the nineteenth century, the work of Giovanni Battista Vitiello(1842-1847).

The Apse Windows of the New and Old Testaments

Vetrate absidali del Vecchio Testamento, Giovanni Battista Vitiello

The three great windows of the apse are the oldest and largest of the whole cathedral. The two windows on the sides (nn 19, 21), each with 130 panels, represents stories from the New Testament and the Old Testament. They were completely redone in the period 1833-1865 by Giovanni Battista Vitiello and his sons Pompeo and Giuseppe, at the time Director of the Accademia di Brera. The central window, dedicated to the Vision of the Apocalypse, on the other hand, has conserved in the upper section some 50 pieces from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Windows of the Counter-Façade

The great windows of the Counter-Façade, in classical style, on the first level, are from the nineteenth century. Those depicting St Charles Boroomeo, St Ambrose and St Michael are the work of the Bertini brothers, while St Thecla is the work of Mauro Conconi. The Assumption in the central window was executed according to cartoon by Luigi Sabatelli.

Windows of the Contemporary Period (20th Century)

The Schuster and Ferrari Window

In the seventh bay of the righthand aisle (no. 7) the window in stained glass, designed in 1988 by the Hungarian János Hajnal, commemorates Blessed Hildephonse Schuster (1880-1954) and Blessed Andrew Charles Ferrari (1850-1921), both cardinals and archbishops of Milan in the first half of the twentieth century.

The King David Window

In the first bay of the lefthand aisle (no. 39) we find the window in stained glass, a work by Aldo Carpi (1939), which relates stories in the life of King David.

The St Michael Window

In the third bay of the lefthand aisle (no. 37) the stained glass window is a depiction by Giovanni Domenico Buffa of the battle between St Michael the Archangel and the Devil (1939). This is the only one of the cathedral's major windows in stained glass to have as subject a single episode that occupies its entire height of 17 metres. The work is strongly marked by expressionism, and portrays with great energy and daring the assault of the Archangels from on high, lead by Michael, depicted on a dazzling white steed, against the devils, whom they cast down into the flames of Hell.

The Lantern Windows

The Lantern situated at the center of the cathedral has windows in stained glass dating to 1968 whose subjects are the events of the Second Vatican Council.

Windows of the Counter-Façade

The stained glass in the small Neogothic windows of the counter-façade is from the 1950s, the work of Hajnal, who attempted to revive here the lively colors of medieval tradition. At the sides the subjects depicted are the Church and the Synagogue, while in the center there is an unusual representation of the Trinity.

Note

   Ernesto Brivio (a cura di), Guida del duomo di Milano, op. cit.
   "Le vetrate così ottenute, anche se pittoricamente belle, non vivono di luce e di colore come le antiche, ma si limitano a trasferire su vetri, per lo più incolori, i modi, i risultati, le tecniche della contemporanea pittura; [il vetro] ebbe sempre attenuato e reso opaco il lucore della materia dall'intervento del pennello". Brivio, Ernesto (a cura di), Guida del duomo di Milano, p.25, op. cit
   AA. VV., Milano, Touring Club Italiano, Milano 1998, ISBN 88-365-1249-6.
   Voce "De Mottis", in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, sul sito Treccani.it.
   Istituto per la conservazione e la valorizzazione dei beni culturali, scheda Duomo di Milano, icvbc.cnr.it
   Istituto per la Conservazione e la Valorizzazione dei Beni Culturali, scheda Duomo di Milano, icvbc.cnr.it
   Brivio, Ernesto (a cura di), Guida del duomo di Milano, op. cit.

Further Reading

Ernesto Brivio(ed.), Guida del duomo di Milano, Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano, Milano, 1997. Giacomo Bascapè & Paolo Mezzanotte, Il Duomo di Milano, Bramante Editrice, Milano, 1965

External links

• www.example.com