Unidentified
Saint Martin Dividing His Cloak with a Beggar
1244-1247
Physical Qualities
Pot metal glass, 27 1/2 x 29 in. (69.9 x 73.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Saidie A. May
Object Number
1941.397
This thirteenth-century medieval stained glass was recently treated by stained glass conservator Mary Clerkin Higgins. To begin, she studied the panel and made a map of the glass, indicating which parts appeared to be original and which were clearly modern. From this study, she determined the scene had originally been presented as two separate panels, which had later been retrofitted for a new site. The two panels were joined together and glass was added down the center to widen the scene and conceal the original separation. A new border, made from old glass, was also added. Though much of the original glass remained, the reconfiguration had distorted the initial relationship of the figures within the panel. Therefore, as part of the conservation process, the decision was made to re-establish the original internal relationships using information gleaned from the thirteenth-century glass and paint. A close study of the glass edges helped determine where the pieces had been altered.
During the conservation treatment, the glass was cleaned under magnification and breaks in the glass were repaired. Sections with paint loss were carefully inpainted. All the original glass was retained. Some of the inserted glass from the last retrofit was kept, while other losses were filled with new glass. The border was retained as part of the history of the panel.
The research, conservation, and installation of this stained glass were made possible with the generous support of The Richard C. von Hess Foundation.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1941; The Baltimore Museum of Art on extended loan, 1941; Saidie A. May by purchase, 1940; Gimbel Brothers, New York; Clarence Mackay, Roslyn, Long Island; Henry C. Lawrence, New York
'Saidie A. May Collection,' "The Baltimore Museum of Art Record," 1972, p. 33.
'Stained Glass before 1700 in American Collections: Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern Seaboard States (Corpus Vitrearum Checklist II)' "Studies,' "Studies in the History of Art," WDC: National Gallery of Art, 1987, Vol. 23, p. 52, ill.
Maker
Unidentified
2000-01-01 00:00:00–2000-01-01 00:00:00